Dirty Little Secret
by the-Bookworm-Princess
Summary: Evie is alright with having a secret relationship with Sheppard, but what will happen when he wants something more? Sequel to “Bound and Determined”. ShepOC. Second story in my "Sex, Lies, and Puddlejumpers" 'verse.
1. Firefights and Emoticons

Title: Dirty Little Secret

Author: Jeana

Spoilers: none majorly, but any episode so far is fair game

Pairings: Sheppard/Evie, Michael/Summer, and little teeny bit of Zelenka/Weir, but nothing more than the teasing you might see on the show

Summary: Evie is alright with having a secret relationship with Sheppard, but what will happen when he wants something more? This is a sequel to "Bound and Determined" and takes place about three months after that story.

Warning: Rated T for some mild language, minor adult themes, and sensuality.

Disclaimer: The characters of Elizabeth, Sheppard, Teyla, Ronon, Ford, Rodney, Carson, Lorne, Zelenka, Laura, Kate, Kavanagh, and Caldwell belong to Brad Wright, Robert C. Cooper, MGM, and all that jazz. All other characters are my own and may not be used without permission. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, evil or benign, just might be on purpose.

Author's Note: Sorry that this took longer than I thought it would to get it posted. I'll try to update regularly, but since I'm gonna be gone half the summer there will probably be gaps betweens postings. But don't worry, the story is all done, so it WILL get posted. :D Okay, I promise the "acknowledgements" won't be quite as long as last time.

Big, big, _big_ thank you to Bethany aka Tigger dah muse for being my inspiration, as always. Thanks for supporting me even when other haven't, and for not telling me certain scenes are corny. ;) I luv you so much.

Amelia, Amelia, Amelia, what would I do without you? Thank you for putting up with my misplaced commas, for brainstorming with me, and for making sure that we didn't have any poop-hugging or "lying prostate." :rofl: I promise that I'll write a Rodney pajama scene in the next one. ;)

To my loyal readers: y'all's reviews make my day. Thanks for sticking with me. Rogue1503, you rock my socks off. ;) If the first two chapters seem a little too perky, don't worry, I promise it gets angstier. _Much_ angstier.

* * *

_"There's a man who leads a life of danger. To everyone he meets he stays a stranger. With every move he makes another chance he takes. Odds are he won't live to see tomorrow. Secret Agent man. Secret Agent man. They've given you a number and taken away your name." - Johnny Rivers, "Secret Agent Man"_

Peering through the brush, Evie readied her weapon and began moving cautiously behind the shrub line. Shielding her self behind a tree, she turned to Teyla, who was hidden behind the bushes several yards away. Teyla nodded, acknowledging the other woman, and Evie slowly counted on her fingers. When she reached three, she darted from her position and began running toward the target, firing as she sprinted. At the same time, Teyla jumped up and began laying down cover fire against the man guarding the precious target.

Evie had nearly reached her goal when she felt several sharp stings of pain to her chest. Dropping her weapon, she clutched her chest, gasping and choking. She slowly fell to her knees and then collapsed with a final cry of "Run, Teyla, run!" She closed her eyes and could hear her friend retreating. Then she perceived her enemy approaching. When he fired another round into her foot, she opened her eyes and glared at him. "Dang it, I'm already dead, Ronon!"

"Just checking," he smirked and then began running off after Teyla. With a mischievous grin, Evie rolled over and grabbed her paintball gun, firing a shot that popped Ronon on the rear end as he ran. "No cheating!" he called over his shoulder.

Evie sighed and set down her weapon down, pulling off her mask. Now she just had to wait for the game to end. After a few minutes, she heard a short firefight, then victorious whoops from the guys. Evie groaned; this was the third time in a row that the men had kicked the women's butts. If only she could convince Rodney to play in the place of one of the other men, the women might have a chance. Unfortunately, Rodney was scared to death of being shot by the pellets of paint. One look at the bruises the six of them had sported after their first "capture the flag" tournament had convinced Rodney that it was a sadistic game. Evie grabbed her weapon and began walking in the direction of the women's flag.

She found the other five, Summer, Michael, Ronon, Teyla, and Sheppard, panting and draining their canteens. Michael looked as if a rainbow had been spilled on him; the poor thing had been nailed by both Summer and Teyla simultaneously. But, in the end, Sheppard had managed to snatch the flag while Ronon covered him. Teyla had been pelted at the last second and was sure to have a nasty bruise on her side. "That was a nice try, ladies," Sheppard commented with a smirk as Evie walked up.

"I'd congratulate you, but I don't want to listen to you and Michael break out with 'We are the Champions' again," Evie replied with a wry smile.

"Aww, c'mon, Sheppard and I are a great duo," Michael protested. "Weeee are the champ--Ow!" Michael clutched his shin, which Summer had just shot. "What was that for?"

"Put a sock in it, Rainbow Brite," Summer laughed.

"Well," Sheppard said, glancing at his watch. "We really should be getting back to Atlantis. It's almost dinnertime." He grinned. The six of them grabbed their gear and began walking back to where they had left the jumper. "You wanna drive, Captain?" Sheppard asked Summer as they entered the small ship.

"Fine by me, sir," she said, stowing her equipment and heading for the cockpit. Summer had been one of the few humans who, like Sheppard and Carson, hadn't needed gene therapy and could control Lantean technology naturally.

"Shotgun!" Evie cried, dashing for the passenger seat. Ronon shook his head as he sat in the chair behind her. In a matter of minutes, they were on their way back to Atlantis.

"So, what happened to you out there, Michael?" Summer asked while she navigated. "You can generally outmaneuver us better than that."

"I dunno," he said with a shrug. "I wasn't moving as fast today. I guess all the running for my life aggravated my asthma."

"You don't have asthma, babe."

"Well, it's not _technically_ asthma, but I have a condition," he explained.

"You have a condition?" she asked with obvious skepticism. "I think you're a hypochondriac."

"They told me I do," Michael said in his defense.

"They _told_ him," Evie said turning to Summer, who grinned. "Michael, what did I tell you about listening to the voices?" The others laughed.

Michael rolled his eyes. "_Dr. Mitschke_ told me."

Evie nodded thoughtfully. "And how long have you been hearing the voice of Dr. Mitschke?"

"Ha, ha, ha," Michael retorted, feigning laughter. "You're so funny, Evie."

"_I_ thought it was funny," Sheppard interjected with a shrug.

"You would," Michael muttered.

"What was that?" Sheppard asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Nothing," Michael said innocently.

When they returned from the mainland, they ate a hearty dinner, famished from their five rounds of paintball. After being sated by the heavy meal, they lounged around the table relaxedly trading chitchat and a few jokes.

"If it's true that actions speak louder than words, then why can't you hear mimes?" Michael joked.

Evie laughed. "Nice pun."

"I've got a better one," Sheppard interjected.

"Let's hear it," Michael challenged.

"Have you guys heard the one about the German coastguard?" When all he got were blanks stares, he continued. "Okay, so this guy is really green, right? It's his first day in the radar office and all of a sudden the radio starts crackling. You can barely hear someone calling, 'Mayday! Mayday! We're sinking! Can you hear us?' So the guy presses the button on his mic." Here, Sheppard did an amusing imitation of a German accent. "'Hello? Zis iss ze German Coastguard.' The ship's captain comes over the radio again. 'We are sinking! We are _sinking!_' The guy stares at the radio, perplexed, then he asks, 'Vat are you…sinking about?'"

There were groans around the table, but Evie just stared at him blankly. "Wait for it," she said, holding her hand up and pondering the pun. "Wait for it…" Still trying to get the joke, she took a sip of her water. Suddenly, the punch line hit her. She literally inhaled the water she had been drinking and began coughing while at the same time laughing hysterically. "Well I'm glad someone enjoyed it," Sheppard commented amusedly as Michael patted Evie on the back.

After a few moments, Evie stopped coughing and attempted to calm her laughter. "'What are you sinking about?'" she repeated with a giggle. "Ahh, that's so great! Colonel, where on earth did you hear that one?" She had another short laughing fit.

"My cousin Amelia," he answered. "She studied abroad Austria." Evie nodded and began giggling again. "Wow. Okay, it's not _that_ funny," he commented, surprised that she was still laughing.

Clapping a hand over her mouth to curtail her giggles, Evie managed, "Yes it is."

Michael chuckled. "Last time someone had her laughing that hard, she sprayed coke out her nose," he said, elbowing the Lieutenant.

"Oh, you had to bring _that_ up," Evie said, shaking her head. Michael just shrugged.

XXXXXX

Later that night, much later, Evie sat in her swivel chair in her quarters, spinning around in lazy circles. Zelenka and Rodney, along with a few of the other computer geeks, had finally managed to get internet set up citywide. Evie had asked Sheppard to log onto the chat server that night, if he could. Sighing, she switched directions, causing the room to spin. Suddenly, her computer dinged. She stopped spinning and looked at the screen.

**23:45:23 _flyboyjes_ has signed on**

23:45:25 jacksgal: squee!

23:45:32 flyboyjes: What is "squee"?

23:45:39 jacksgal: it's my happy noise. giggles

23:45:50 flyboyjes: I see. Man, it's been a long time since I've been in one of these things.

23:46:03 jacksgal: really? they're so much fun, lol

23:46:09 flyboyjes: what's "lol"?

23:46:17 jacksgal: it means laughing out loud. as in, I'm laughing right now.

23:46:24 flyboyjes: ah. thanks.

23:46:28 jacksgal: np

23:46:31 flyboyjes: np?

23:46:44 jacksgal: omw, you weren't kidding when you said it'd been a while, huh?

23:46:52 jacksgal: np is no "problem". and omw is "oh my word."

23:47:01 flyboyjes: ty

23:47:09 jacksgal: see! you're gettin it! ;)

23:48:15 flyboyjes: sort of…

23:48:24 jacksgal: you'll catch on sooner or later.

23:48:43 jacksgal: okay, I give up. what is "jes" supposed to mean?

23:48:50 flyboyjes: It's my initials.

23:48:59 jacksgal: ah. Edward?

23:49:06 flyboyjes: nope.

23:49:19 jacksgal: oh yeah, I always wondered: is your name really Jonathan or is it just John?

23:49:25 flyboyjes: just John.

23:49:38 jacksgal: awesome. now back to the question at hand. Edgar?

23:49:44 flyboyjes: uhh…no.

23:49:52 jacksgal: hehe. umm… Elmer!

23:50:04 flyboyjes: you're not even close. I could just tell you, you know.

23:50:12 jacksgal: tsk. now where's the fun in that?

23:50:17 jacksgal: Elliot?

23:50:19 jacksgal: Earl?

23:50:22 jacksgal: Ethan?

23:50:28 flyboyjes: still no.

23:50:40 jacksgal: hmm…ponder, ponder, ponder Ebeneezer? giggles

23:50:44 jacksgal: Enrique:D

23:50:48 flyboyjes: John Enrique Sheppard?

23:50:56 jacksgal: hey, I'm just going through the E's…

23:51:05 jacksgal: gasp ELMO!

23:51:11 flyboyjes: no, thank God.

23:51:15 jacksgal: Ha! umm…

23:51:32 jacksgal: of course! I should have gotten it sooner! John Egbert!

23:51:34 flyboyjes: …

23:51:37 jacksgal: rofl

23:51:46 flyboyjes: care to translate?

23:51:55 jacksgal: rolling on (the) floor laughing

23:52:07 jacksgal: Ephriam?

23:52:12 flyboyjes: sigh no…

23:52:28 jacksgal: Englebert? Eskimo!

23:52:40 floyboyjes: you have issues. you know that?

23:52:49 jacksgal: hehehe. and you're only just now noticing?

23:52:57 flyboyjes: no, this is just further proof. : )

23:53:08 jacksgal: gah! I'm starting to run out. I can only think of a few more… Ezra?

23:53:14 flyboyjes: there ya go.

23:53:17 jacksgal: really?

23:53:19 flyboyjes: no

23:53:24 jacksgal: ugh. you're such a dork.

23:53:31 flyboyjes: careful, Lieutenant…

23:53:37 jacksgal: oh, what're you gonna do about it? raises eyebrow

23:53:46 jacksgal: I can't actually do that. raise just one eyebrow, I mean. I can only raise them both. it's kinda sad.

23:53:54 jacksgal: anyways…Eric?

23:53:58 flyboyjes: yep.

23:54:03 jacksgal: really?

23:54:06 flyboyjes: yes.

23:54:13 jacksgal: really really?

23:54:19 flyboyjes: really really.

23:54:30 jacksgal: John Eric Sheppard. I like that. it's kinda…rough.

23:54:33 jacksgal: mrawr

23:54:39 flyboyjes: raises eyebrow (I can actually do that :P)

23:54:45 jacksgal: nothing… innocent face

23:54:49 flyboyjes: ooooooooooookay then.

23:55:02 flyboyjes: who's Jack?

23:55:04 jacksgal: huh?

23:55:09 jacksgal: oh! Jack Sparrow. Pirates of the Caribbean.

23:55:13 flyboyjes: rolls eyes

23:55:15 jacksgal: whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

23:55:20 jacksgal: what's that s'posed to mean?

23:55:29 flyboyjes: you're obsessing over a character that's not even real.

23:55:36 jacksgal: gasp but Johnny Depp is real. and he's HAWT!

23:55:42 flyboyjes: rolls eyes isn't he married?

23:55:49 jacksgal: covers ears I can't heeeeeeeeeeeear yoooooooooooooou.

23:55:52 flyboyjes: haha.

23:56:00 jacksgal: you men are no better. Name your favorite actress.

23:56:08 flyboyjes: Audrey Hepburn.

23:56:15 jacksgal: _current_ actress, you goof.

23:56:23 flyboyjes: …

23:56:27 jacksgal: c'mon now

23:56:35 flyboyjes: will you promise not to hit me?

23:56:41 jacksgal: maybe…

23:56:44 flyboyjes: ugh.

23:56:55 flyboyjes: Angelina Jolie

23:56:58 jacksgal: slap

23:57:04 flyboyjes: see! I knew you would!

23:57:17 jacksgal: that's cause she's…she's… she's Angelina! gags I mean, I'm not saying that she can't act…

23:57:25 flyboyjes: yeah, well… she's "hawt", as you so eloquently put it.

23:57:33 jacksgal: mutters unintelligible curses under her breath

23:57:39 flyboyjes: anyways…

23:57:46 jacksgal: yes, yes, moving on…

23:58:04 jacksgal: your turn to start a converstaion

23:58:06 jacksgal: conversation

23:58:10 flyboyjes: why me?

23:58:16 jacksgal: because I'll start randomly singing if you don't

23:58:18 flyboyjes: …

23:58:32 jacksgal: oh, oh,oh, go totally crazy, forget I'm a lady. men's shirts, short skirts. oh, oh, oh…

23:58:36 flyboyjes: beg your pardon?

23:58:43 jacksgal: man! I feel like a woman! dun dun da da da dun dun!

23:58:51 flyboyjes: I suppose that's a good thing?

23:58:55 jacksgal: heck yes it is. :D

23:59:08 jacksgal: the best thing about being a woman is the prerogative to have a little fun!

23:59:17 flyboyjes: that's what I'm talking 'bout. now how do I get a piece of that? ;)

23:59:26 jacksgal: so sorry to disappoint you, Colonel, but rules are rules. "No fraternizing."

23:59:34 flyboyjes: I don't want to "fraternize", I want to grab you an--shutting up.

23:59:40 jacksgal: bad, John, bad:D

23:59:44 flyboyjes: evil grin

23:59:53 jacksgal: I'm having a party. A party for two…

00:00:02 flyboyjes: ooh! ooh! I know this one! ain't inviting nobody. nobody but you.

00:00:08 jacksgal:D you'll be sexy in your socks

00:00:13 flyboyjes: we could polish the floors.

00:00:19 jacksgal: in case anybody knocks

00:00:24 flyboyjes: let's lock all the doors.

00:00:28 jacksgal: oh dear, it's getting late.

00:00:35 flyboyjes: aww, but we were just getting to the good part. grin

00:00:41 jacksgal: but it's past my bedtime. I'll turn into a pumpkin!

00:00:45 flyboyjes: a pumpkin?

00:00:52 jacksgal: oh, for the love of donuts, have you never watched Cinderella?

00:00:59 flyboyjes: oh! right, right. well then, Princess, I guess I should let you get to bed. :D

00:01:03 jacksgal: awww, make me feel special.

00:01:09 jacksgal: ooh! That makes you Prince Charming, doesn't it

00:01:10 jacksgal?

00:01:13 jacksgal: I hate that stupid key…

00:01:20 flyboyjes: if you deem me worthy of that title, Beautiful, then I accept.

00:01:24 jacksgal: awesome possum

00:01:26 flyboyjes: squee.

00:01:28 jacksgal: omw, no.

00:01:32 flyboyjes: what?

00:01:36 jacksgal: no. just no.

00:01:41 flyboyjes: okay…

00:01:44 flyboyjes: goodnight, then.

00:01:52 jacksgal: goodnight. sleep tight. don't let the bedbugs bite.

00:01:56 flyboyjes: haha

00:02:05 jacksgal: you laugh, but I'm serious about those bugs.

00:02:10 flyboyjes: yes, ma'am. sweet dreams

00:02:16 jacksgal: see you in the morning

00:02:19 flyboyjes: it is morning.

00:02:22 jacksgal: …

00:02:26 jacksgal: you know what I mean. g'night.

00:02:29 flyboyjes: 'night

**00:02:33 _jacksgal_ has signed off**

**00:02:41 _flyboyjes_ has signed off**


	2. A Few Pointers

**(Quick) Author's Note:** In the last chapter, for some reason, it wouldn't post my asterisks, which is how I denotated the "actions" in Sheppard and Evie's chat conversation. So, from now on I will denotate them with colons, i.e. :laughs: We'll see if that works. And since it's been a while since I posted last, you nice people who bother to read this shtuff get **two whole chappies!** Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Two - A Few Pointers**

"_When she and I settle down you can bet that he is gonna have to settle for less. He's someone I would hate to be. I got the girl and he's left with just the memory. He's the guy that you should feel sorry for. He had the world but he thought that he wanted more. I owe it all to the mistake he made back then. I owe it all to my girl's ex-boyfriend. If it wasn't for him, I would still be searching. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't know my best friend. If it wasn't for him, he would be able to see that if it wasn't for him, he'd be as happy as me." - Relient K, "My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend" _

Panting. Panting and soft grunting. These were the only sounds heard in the gym on Saturday after breakfast. Halfway through Summer and Evie's grappling session, Sheppard entered the gym. "Morning, ladies," he greeted, intrigued by watching the two women fight.

"Morning, sir," Evie panted, glad she hadn't taken her eyes off her opponent as she narrowly ducked Summer's roundhouse kick. Taking a step back, Evie attempted to use the same move, but Summer grabbed Evie's foot, twisting it roughly and forcing Evie to turn a one-eighty. With a swift kick to the back of her opponent's knee, Summer threw Evie onto the mat, her friend landing with a soft grunt.

"Nice moves, Captain," Sheppard complimented.

"Thank you, sir," Summer huffed with a smile, tucking a few stray hairs behind her ear.

"And 'nice try' to you, Lieutenant," he teased as Evie slowly got to her feet.

"You ever fight her before, sir?" Evie asked, breathing heavily and grabbing her water bottle from her gear.

"A few times," Sheppard said, nodding.

"You ever _win_?" Evie said, taking a gulp of water.

"Most of the time, actually," he answered. "But only because I'm heavier," he admitted with a grin. Evie sighed tiredly. "I could give you a couple pointers, if you'd like," Sheppard offered.

Evie looked over to Summer. "Captain?"

Summer waved her hand as if shooing her friend. "Go for it," she said, sitting down on the bench.

Evie nodded, setting down her water bottle. She inhaled deeply as she stepped back onto the mat with Sheppard. They had sparred a few times before, and he had kicked her butt on each and every occasion.

"Always keep your defenses up," he instructed, attempting a low punch, which was easily blocked. He tried several more blows in quick succession, and Evie nimbly parried them all. "And always stay on your toes." Thus saying, he delivered an uppercut punch and then darted to the side, attempting to grab her ankle. Evie evaded his grasp with a swift kick to his arm. "Nice," he said, taking a step back. Several more blows were exchanged, some connecting, but most being blocked.

"What you want to do is catch your opponent off-guard," Sheppard explained. As he said this, he feinted to the left. When Evie moved to block his blow, he grabbed her wrist, yanking her forward and flipping her onto her back. She landed on the mat with a grunt. Using her wrist, Sheppard pulled her over onto her stomach, grabbing both her arms and planting his shin against her rear to prevent her from moving. He yanked on both her wrists, pulling her arms tight and eliciting a slight groan from her. "And _that_," he panted, "is the benefit of catching your rival off-guard."

With a soft cry of effort, Evie brought one of her legs up, kicking his lower back with enough force to send him rolling forward. She hopped up and quickly placed her foot against his throat, grabbing his arm and twisting it out to the side. "How's that?" she huffed, flipping her hair out of her face.

"S'good," he whispered, breathing heavily. "Quick thinking."

Evie nodded and removed her foot, untwisting his arm and pulling him up. "Thanks for the lesson, sir. I feel much more confident knowing that I can kick _your_ butt," she teased.

Sheppard grinned wryly. "Don't count on it next time. Now you finish with Akerly," he said, gesturing to Summer.

Summer grinned and stood to her feet, returning to the mat. "Pointers or no pointers, you're still going down, Lieutenant," she teased, bringing her hands up.

"Bring it, Barbie," Evie said, throwing a blow that Summer narrowly blocked. Sheppard smirked as he watched the two ladies continue to exchange blows for a several minutes. Both women managed to stay on their toes, and Sheppard wasn't certain who the victor would be.

Summer deflected a kick from Evie, then suddenly struck out with her fist. Evie sidestepped the blow and hooked her arm around Summer's. Striking the back of Summer's neck with her opposite forearm, Evie delivered a swift kick to Summer's lower back and dropped the other woman onto the mat. Realizing she had just pinned her friend to the floor, Evie grinned widely, but her moment of victory was curtailed when Summer grabbed her friend's ankle and yanked her foot out from under her. Having always had terrible balance, Evie fell to the ground with a yelp. Summer quickly rolled over and secured Evie to the mat. "Ha! Pinned ya again," she teased.

Evie pouted, mumbling something under her breath, and Summer released her friend. Evie crossed her arms when she heard Sheppard snickering. "Well, I knocked her down, didn't I?" she asked.

Sheppard quickly erased the smirk from his face. "Yes, yes," he answered, nodding. "That was better, Lieutenant."

Evie smiled. "Well," she said, reaching her hands up to Summer, who pulled her up, "if you'll excuse me, sir, I think I'm done for the day."

Sheppard nodded then turned to Summer. "You got enough energy for one more round?" he asked.

"I think so, sir," Summer answered, draining the last of her water bottle.

"You two have fun," Evie said leaving Summer and Sheppard engaged in combat.

XXXXXX

Entering the sparsely occupied mess hall just after lunch, Sheppard was surprised to see Evie at one the tables, crying. "Something wrong, Lieutenant?" he asked, walking over to where she sat, tears slowly trickling down her cheeks. Evie held a finger up and turned the page of the book in front of her. Sheppard sat down in front of her and gently raised the book so he could see the title. "The Notebook," he read aloud. "Any good?" Evie nodded, not taking her eyes off the page, and sniffled a little.

A few moments later, Evie closed the book and wiped her cheeks. "Ugh, I'm such a sap for happy endings," she commented, rubbing her nose.

"Nothing wrong with that," he said, picking up the book and flipping through the pages. "Any hot scenes?"

"Yes, but I won't tell you the page number," she teased. "I skipped ahead a few pages when the pants started coming off, anyway."

"You mean you don't fantasize about 'heaving bosoms' and 'torrid love affairs'?" he joked, managing to find the correct page.

"No, sir, I most certainly do not," she answered. "And I don't think this conversation is very appropriate," she said quietly after one of the scientists walked by the table.

"As you wish, Lieutenant, as you wish," Sheppard said, setting the book down. "What _would_ you like to talk about then? Unless you have someplace to be…"

"No, I'm free for the rest of the day, thank the Lord," Evie answered.

Sheppard nodded. "So… Do you have family back in the states?" he asked, picking a topic at random from his head.

Evie nodded. "Mom and Dad. Safe at home in good ol' Dinkyville, Texas," she said with a smile.

"Small town, eh?"

"Population 4,530. Unless Mrs. Ryland had twins again. Then it's 4,532."

Sheppard nodded with an amused smile. "So, you don't have any siblings?"

"No," Evie answered after a slight pause. Sheppard nodded and then there was another brief moment of silence, which was broken when Evie asked, "So, what about your family?"

Sheppard looked down. An awkward silence ensued as long-buried memories resurfaced in his mind…

"_You're sure you can't go to the movies with us tonight, John?" the svelte brunette asked as she and her boyfriend sat in his car in her driveway. _

_"I'd love to, Emily," eighteen year-old John Sheppard replied, placing a hand on her knee. "But my parents are getting back from Europe this afternoon and my dad and I are gonna go to the Steeler's game." _

_"Oh. Alright." Emily nodded. "You two have fun. So, I'll see you on Monday?" she asked, reaching for the door handle. _

_"Absolutely, babe," he said suavely, sliding his hand a few inches up her thigh. _

_"Stoppit, John," she giggled, pushing his hand off. "I'm sure my brother is watching us through the kitchen window." _

_"So let's give him something to watch," the young man teased, pulling her in for a kiss. _

_Emily pulled away a minute later, blushing. "I swear, John Sheppard, you are the most mischievous boy I know." John just grinned. She grabbed her backpack from the floorboard and opened the car door. "Thanks for the ride," she said, exiting the car. _

_"Anytime, baby." He waved as she walked up the steps to her house. John backed out of the driveway and drove back to his house. Once there, he greeted his dog, Whatever, and then reluctantly pulled his calculus book from his backpack. His father, Matt Sheppard, was a strict man, and John knew that there would be no football game if his homework wasn't finished first. _

_He had only been working for half an hour when the phone rang. He got up and walked over to where the apparatus was hanging on the wall, nearly tripping over Whatever in the process. "Stupid dog," he muttered, lifting the receiver off the hook. "Hello?" _

_"Is this John Sheppard?" a male voice asked. _

_"It depends," John smart-mouthed. _

_"And your parents are Matthew and Christine?" _

_"Yes. Who is this?" he asked, leaning against the wall. _

_"This is Officer DiNozzo, Philly P.D." the voice answered. _

_John swallowed nervously. "Are my parents okay?" he asked quickly. _

_"Son, I'm so sorry… Their plane crashed. There weren't any survivors." The phone fell from John's grip, the cord catching it just before it hit the floor. He slid down the wall, sinking to the floor. "Son? Son?" John just sat there in shock as the phone continued to swing slowly back and forth… _

"Sir?" Evie's voice jolted Sheppard from the painful memory. "Sir, are you alright?"

"Yeah…" he said quietly, continuing to stare at the floor. "My parents were killed when I was eighteen," he relinquished after a pause.

Evie felt like kicking herself. "Oh, man… I'm so sorry, sir." "Sorry" sounded so…unhelpful. It was an automatic response in situations like this, but she knew from personal experience that it didn't do a thing to make the other person feel any better. And talk about a good way to kill a conversation… Where did one go from here? She decided a little transparency couldn't hurt. "Okay, so I lied," she said. Sheppard slowly looked up at her, quickly masking the sorrow in his eyes with his usual façade. "I lost my younger brother," she said quietly, her downcast eyes staring at the salt shaker in front of her. "I generally don't mention it, but since you were being all open…" she trailed off.

Sheppard looked down, his eyes tracing the pattern on the cover of Evie's book. Silence ensued again, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Almost subconsciously, Sheppard slowly slid his hand across the table. Then he gently slipped it over Evie's. Continuing to stare at the book, half-lost in thought, he was vaguely aware of her smiling slightly.

"I guess…it just feels better to tell someone…you know?" Evie said softly. "Catharsis or something like that…"

Sheppard nodded slowly and looked up at her. The moment was quickly shattered, however, by the beeping of Sheppard's watch. "Sorry. Senior staff meeting," he explained. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and left.


	3. Infirmary Blues

_"Until the day I die, I'll spill my heart for you. Until the day I die, I'll spill my heart for you. As years go by, I race the clock with you. But if you die right now, you know that I'd die, too. I'd die, too." - Story of the Year, "Until the Day I Die" _

"Good morning, Radek," Elizabeth greeted the scientist as she walked into the Control Room.

"Dr. Weir." He acknowledged her with a nod and then returned to typing on his laptop.

Seeing the empty coffee cup next to his computer, Elizabeth smiled and handed him the extra cup she had brought. "Thought you might be ready for another," she said.

"Thank you," he said, taking the offered drink and giving her one of his shy little smiles that always made her grin in response. He continued to gaze at her for a few seconds more, jolted from whatever reverie he was having by the sound of her voice.

"What are you working on?" she asked, suppressing her amused laugh at catching him staring.

"Oh!" He sheepishly turned back around to his laptop. "Well," he said, entering a few keystrokes and popping up a diagram, "Major Lorne's team found an interesting energy anomaly on MJ6-483."

When he pointed to the screen, Elizabeth rested her hands on the desk and leaned her head down next to his, with the pretense of seeing the readout better. The corners of her mouth twitched despite her best efforts not to smile when Zelenka shifted nervously and began breathing faster. Amusingly enough, his tenseness due to her proximity wasn't obvious to anyone else in the Control Room but her. "Go on, Doctor," she said innocently.

Zelenka muttered a Czech curse under his breath and attempted to explain his project. "They were able to trace the energy to a temple on the north side of the island…" The light scent of her perfume was driving him batty. "However…when they tried to, ehh…search the…temple…"

"Problems, Radek?" Elizabeth teased.

He sighed in frustration and attempted to concentrate. "When they tried to search the temple…the nativ--"

"Off-world activation," the Gate technician interrupted as the gate began activating.

Elizabeth looked up from where she was hovering over Zelenka's shoulder. "From?"

"P8B-449," the tech replied. "Captain Akerly's IDC."

"Already?" Elizabeth walked over to stand beside him and checked the computer herself. "Didn't they only leave a few minutes ago?"

"Yes, ma'am," he answered, hitting the button to lower the shield.

Summer came barreling through the event horizon with Michael on her heels. "We have a medical emergency!" she called, looking back at the Gate frantically, waiting for her comrades to rematerialize. "We need Beckett in here, ASAP!"

Elizabeth quickly radioed for a medical team as she ran down the stairs. She reached the bottom just as Johnson stepped back though the Gate carrying Evie's limp body in his arms. The unconscious Lieutenant was bleeding from a wound in her side and her scarlet life-fluid had soaked clear through her shirt and jacket. "Dear Lord…" Elizabeth whispered, bringing a hand up to her mouth. Johnson began quickly making his way to the infirmary, meeting the medical team halfway and placing Evie gently on the stretcher.

Michael placed a comforting arm around Summer as they watched the EMTs whisk their injured comrade off to perform emergency surgery. Johnson ran beside the medical team, explaining to Carson how Evie had obtained her injury.

"Captain, what happened!" Elizabeth asked Summer anxiously as the three of them walked to the infirmary; Summer and Michael were a little banged up, but had no serious injuries.

"Th-the place looked deserted. Just trees for miles," Summer answered, trying to recall exactly what _had_ happened in the blur of action. "But then we saw a settlement to the east of the Gate. We had only walked about a quarter of a mile before we were ambushed."

"By?" Elizabeth prodded when Summer stopped, distracted.

"I don't know!" Summer cried, her voice trembling.

"Whatever they were, they weren't human," Michael commented, gently rubbing Summer's shoulder. "But they weren't Wraith either. We'd never seen anything like them. But they all came out of nowhere--"

"Dozens of them," Summer interjected.

"We tried to fight them off, but they were _fast_."

"And they were everywhere."

"So we tried to make a break for the Gate," Michael continued.

"Johnson and Evie had our sixes as we ran."

"We had almost reached the Gate--"

"Evie cried out." Summer's voice was breaking.

"One of those…those things had stabbed her with his dagger."

"I covered Johnson while he ran to her--"

"While I dialed home--"

"The cut was big…sh-she lost consciousness pretty quickly."

They had reached the infirmary by this time. "I'll let you know as soon as we have any updates on Evie's condition," Elizabeth said solemnly. "But right now, I want you two to have those injuries taken care of." She found a few of the medical staff and sent them to bandage up Michael and Summer. Then she went to check on Evie's status.

XXXXXX

Several agonizing hours later, Carson emerged from the OR. Aside from several scratches, a few minor lacerations, and a large bruise on Michael's shoulder, the rest of Johnson's team was fine. The three of them, along with Elizabeth, immediately pounced upon Carson. "Is she going to make it?"

"Is Evie okay?"

"She's gonna be alright, isn't she?"

"How is she?"

"Yes, yes, yes, and still unconscious," Carson answered, rubbing a hand over his tired face. "She lost a lot of blood, but thankfully there wasn't any damage to her internal organs. The wound was more of a slash than a stab. We gave her some blood and patched her up as best as we could. We were afraid that she might regain consciousness while we were working on her, so we gave her a heavy dose of sedatives. She's now resting comfortably in a medically induced coma. She should regain consciousness within a day or two."

Summer heaved a sigh of relief. After a pause, she asked, "Can I see her?"

"Of course," he answered with a kind smile. Understanding the strong bond between Summer and Evie, he had made a small provision. "There's an extra pillow on the chair."

Summer smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Carson." She quickly walked behind the curtains that separated Evie from the rest of the room. Michael and Johnson followed suit.

"She lost all that blood and she's really going to be just fine?" Elizabeth asked as she watched Evie's teammates leave.

"Like I said, it's really just a flesh wound. So, I don't want you to stay up all night worrying. I expect her to make a full recovery."

Elizabeth sighed and smiled lightly. "Good job, Carson."

He smiled. "All in a day's work."

XXXXXX

After returning his weapons to the armory, Sheppard began searching for any of the members of Major Johnson's team. As he walked through the mess hall, he spotted one of the men for whom he was looking. "Hey, Mikey," he called, approaching the younger man. "Are we all still on for paintball?"

Michael frowned at Sheppard. "Dude, it's 'Michael.'"

"My bad," Sheppard apologized. "_Michael_, are we going to the mainland today for paintball?"

Michael looked down. "No… Paintball's going to have to wait."

"Why? What happened?" Sheppard asked, starting to grow concerned.

Michael met Sheppard's gaze hesitantly; he knew that Sheppard cared for Evie and didn't want the other man to completely freak out. "Evie's in the infirmary. _But_--" he cut off Sheppard's cry of protest "--she's going to be okay."

Sheppard grabbed Michael's arm and practically dragged the anthropologist out of the mess hall. "What happened?" he asked as they walked quickly to the infirmary, the concern evident in Sheppard's voice.

Prying off Sheppard's grip on his shoulder, Michael asked, "You want the long version or the short version?" Sheppard shot him a glare. "We were ambushed. Evie got stabbed," Michael answered quickly.

"Stabbed! With what? By who?" Sheppard fired off his questions as they neared the infirmary.

"Just your normal dagger, and by…I don't know what. But P8B-449 is definitely off-limits from here on out."

They had reached the infirmary by this time, and Sheppard quickly scanned the room, spotting the curtained bed and making a beeline for it. He saw Summer sitting in the chair next to the bed, reading a book. And there, on the bed, lay his beloved. She had an IV in her hand and was hooked up to several monitors, with various wires attached to her. She had a few scrapes on her face and arms, and he could see the thick bandage around her torso through the pajama-like hospital garb in which she had been dressed.

Summer looked up when she heard him sigh dejectedly. "Good afternoon, Colonel," she greeted, placing a bookmark in her book. When Sheppard continued to stare at Evie and didn't return her greeting, Summer added, "She's not as bad as she looks. Carson says she'll wake up as soon as the sedative wears off."

"God, I hope so," Sheppard prayed, gently stroking Evie's cheek with the back of his hand.

After a pause, Summer asked quietly, "You really care for her a lot, don't you?"

Sheppard nodded and slipped his hand into Evie's, squeezing it gently. "She's really something special."

"Well, when she wakes up," Summer said optimistically, "I'm sure she'd love to hear you say that."

"Carson really expects her to be just fine?" he asked, looking over at Summer.

She nodded. "He says that she'll make a full recovery." After a minute, she laughed softly.

"And just what is so funny, Captain?" Sheppard asked, failing to see anything remotely amusing about the current situation.

"If you'll permit me to say so, sir, you look like a lovesick puppy," Summer confessed.

"Yeah, well…" Sheppard trailed off, gazing sadly at Evie.

"You know what? I think I'll go stretch my legs for a bit," Summer said, grabbing her book and standing up. "I'll be back in about an hour."

Sitting down in the chair and taking Evie's other hand, Sheppard replied quietly, "I'll be here."


	4. Codeine and Confessions

"_Now that I know what I'm without, you can't just leave me. Breathe into me and make me real. Bring me to life. Wake me up. Wake me up inside. I can't wake up. Wake me up inside. Save me. Call my name and save me from the dark. Wake me up. Bid my blood to run before I come undone. Save me. Save me from the nothing I've become." - Evanescence, "Bring Me to Life"_

As hard as it was for him, Sheppard had taken Summer's advice and not slept at Evie's bedside - they couldn't risk anyone getting ideas - so it was in his own bed that he had tossed and turned all night long. He had checked on her first thing in the morning and, finding her to still be unconscious, was shooed off to breakfast by Summer, who had kept vigil over her friend through the night.

Around 0817, Summer heard a groan from the bed and looked up to see Evie slowly opening her eyes. "Good morning, Sunshine," she greeted cheerily. "How do you feel?"

"Ugh…it's _not_ a good morning," Evie mumbled. "Ow! Freaking cow!"

"What's wrong?" Summer asked, taking Evie's hand.

Evie reached down to lightly touch her injured side. "What happened?"

"When we went to P8B-449 we were ambushed," Summer explained. "One of those things stabbed you and you lost consciousness."

"Pain. Lots of pain," Evie lamented.

Summer laughed lightly, recognizing the movie line. "I'll go get Carson." She quickly went to find the doctor.

The Captain returned a few minutes later with Carson and Elizabeth in tow. "Good morning, Evie," Carson said with a smile.

Evie shook her head. "No. No, it's not," she groaned.

"Well, as soon as I give you some painkillers, I'm sure you'll think otherwise," the kind doctor replied, administering the appropriate drugs.

"Glad to have you back with us, Lieutenant," Elizabeth said with a relieved smile.

"How long have I been out, Dr. Weir?" Evie asked, fiddling with the IV in her hand and earning a hand slap from Carson.

"Since yesterday around 1030," she replied. Evie nodded slowly. "I hate to run, but I have a debriefing in five minutes."

"Of course, Doctor," Evie assured. "Thanks for dropping by."

With a nod, Elizabeth left the infirmary. While trying to sit up, Evie aggravated her wound. She winced. "How long until these painkillers start working, Carson?" she asked.

"About three minutes," Carson answered, patting her hand. "Then you won't feel a thing."

"Good." She suddenly had a thought. "Carson…these drugs aren't going to make me…loopy, are they?"

Pulling an innocent face, the Scotsman replied, "Why, my dear, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Evie rolled her eyes and groaned. "Great. Thank you, Carson," she said with a wry smile.

"Anytime." Giving the monitors one last glance, he said, "Well, if you ladies will excuse me, I have a few other patients to attend to."

"Don't worry about me, Carson," Evie said. "I'm not going anywhere." When he was gone, Summer grinned. "What?" Evie asked, eyeing her friend suspiciously.

"When you were out of it, a certain someone came to visit you," she said, poking her friend's shoulder.

Evie blushed. "Oh, really… What did he do?"

Summer giggled. "It was adorable, really. He looked like a little lost puppy and he just sat there, watching you."

"Aww…" Evie smiled. "Hey, when you go to breakfast, let anyone who cares know I'm up and that I'd love visitors."

"Of course, dear," Summer replied with a smile.

XXXXXX

"You don't seriously think she'd flirt with _Carson?_" Rodney said as he and Michael walked to the infirmary.

"Oh, I know she will," Michael said with a grin. "I mean, he's got her on some _serious_ painkillers."

"You wanna put a little money on that?" Rodney asked with a mischievous grin.

"Five bucks says she flirts," Michael wagered.

"Deal," Rodney said, shaking the other man's hand as they walked into the infirmary. They quickly found Evie lying in her bed. "Morning, Lieutenant," Rodney greeted.

"Hey, Evie. Glad to see you're doing better," Michael smiled.

Evie gasped. "My favorite Michael and my favorite Rodney! Well…actually…you're my only Rodney…" She giggled. "You're so special."

The two men exchanged smirks. "So how are you feeling?" Michael asked.

"Well, at first it hurt like heck, but Carson gave me lotsa medicine and now I feel fine. But he won't let me leave." She crossed her arms and stuck out a pouting lip. "He won't let me eat anything, either. The mean old man…"

Michael covered his laugh by coughing into his hand. "Where is Carson, anyway?"

"Somewhere…" Evie said, waving her hand absently. "Somewhere…over the rainbow…"

"Wow," was all Rodney had to say.

"I think I'm about to be five dollars richer," Michael said when he saw Carson approaching.

"…bluebirds fly…"

"The painkillers should have kicked in by now. How do you feel, Evie?" Carson asked, checking her vitals on the monitor.

"I feel good, da na na na na na na. Oh, so good, da na na na…"

Carson smiled and placed his hand on her forehead. "Well, your fever's gone. That means you're definitely getting better."

"You know, you have really pretty eyes, Carson," Evie said with a goofy smile.

Carson chuckled. "Thank you, my dear."

"Ha! I told you she would," Michael said, poking Rodney and holding out his hand. "Now, pony up the cash." Rodney sighed, protesting feebly that one comment about someone's eyes was hardly flirting, but digging reluctantly in his pocket anyway.

"Pony…" Evie said thoughtfully, looking up as if recalling a memory. "I had a pony once… He was pink. His name was…Rainbow…"

"Who's name was Rainbow?" Sheppard asked, entering the infirmary.

"My pony!" Evie giggled.

Sheppard raised an eyebrow and then looked over at Carson with a questioning glance. "Codeine," the doctor mouthed. Sheppard nodded knowingly.

Evie seemed to notice Sheppard for the first time. "Oh! Hi, Colonel." She smiled at him.

"Good morning, Lieutenant," he greeted. Had the room been empty and Evie not been high as a kite, he would have greeted her much differently. "Glad to see you're awake."

Evie nodded. "But you know, when I was asleep I had the weirdest dream about you…" Rodney began snickering. "We were in a puddle jumper an--"

"Perhaps another time, Lieutenant," Sheppard said, cutting off what he assumed was quickly going to become an embarrassing situation. "I'm afraid that I have to steal Rodney."

"Aww…" Evie frowned. "Will you come back?" she asked, her eyes hopeful.

"After lunch," Sheppard agreed. "And we can talk about your pony." He grinned.

"What pony?"

As much as Evie hated it, she obeyed the doctor's orders and remained in the infirmary for the next week. After promising to adhere to a medication regime and to take it easy for the next few weeks, she had been released by Carson. Her team had been working without her while she was under the weather, and she was anxious to rejoin them. Unfortunately, Carson had ordered her not to go off-world for at least another week, and so she was stuck exploring planets by sifting through data on her laptop.

Sheppard and his team got back to Atlantis around 2230 from a mission halfway across the Pegasus galaxy. When he heard that Evie had been released, he quickly returned his weapons to the armory, intent on visiting her. He walked down the long hall to her quarters. Quickly glancing up and down the corridor to be certain he wasn't being watched(it _was_ nearly 2300), Sheppard quietly knocked on the Lantean door and called softly, "Evie?"

After a moment, the door whooshed open. Evie was wearing her usual red moose boxers with a tank top, but didn't appear to have been in bed. "Can I help you, Colonel?" She might have called him "John", but didn't want anyone working the night shift to overhear her being so informal with a superior officer.

"Yeah, I, uhh…" He paused and his brow furrowed. Why _had_ he come down here? Just to see her? Convince himself that she was alright? Or would he tell her what he had finally realized? He looked down. "Ever since you went to P8B-449, I've been…having nightmares," he admitted after a pause.

"You're not the only one," Evie offered.

"You too?" he asked, meeting her gaze.

Evie nodded, then gestured for him to come inside. Sheppard accepted the invitation gratefully. After shutting the door, she asked, "What kind?"

"About you," he said quietly and volunteered nothing further.

Evie sat down on her bed and patted the spot next to her. When Sheppard joined her, she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "Care to elaborate?" she asked, looking up at him.

"That you were hurt worse," he said, staring at the floor in front of him. "Sometimes you made it. Sometimes you didn't."

Evie reached out her hand and gently placed it on his arm. "Hey," she said softly, "it's okay. I'm fine, I'm healing, and everything's alright."

"I know that. I mean, I just…" He paused, trying to transfer his feelings into words. "I guess…the reality that I could lose you finally hit me, you know?" Evie nodded slowly. When she didn't say anything, Sheppard was afraid that maybe Evie didn't care for him as much as he did for her. As he attempted to come up with a clever exiting line, Evie scooted over next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Smiling slightly, Sheppard lifted his arm and placed it around her shoulders. Evie shifted again and slipped her arms around his neck, gently laying her head on his chest. Sheppard wrapped his arms around her and placed several light kisses in her hair.

"Evie?" he whispered.

"Hmm?"

Sheppard brought a hand under her chin and gently turned her face to look at him. One glance at her adoring hazel eyes prompted him to go ahead and say it. "Evie, I…I think I love you."

She smiled, obviously amused. "You _think_?" she asked, raising her eyebrows slightly.

Her smile put him at ease. "No, I know I do. I love you, Evie."

Evie grinned, beaming. "I love you, too, John."

He brought a hand up to the side of her face, gently stroking her cheek. "So beautiful," he murmured.

Evie blushed and allowed her head to lean into his touch. "You know that we can't actually have a relationship," she whispered. "Right?"

He smiled playfully. "Mmhmm…" With that, he leaned in and gently brushed his lips against hers. However, when she didn't respond, he quickly pulled away. "Evie…I'm sorry, I thou--"

She cut off the rest of his apology by kissing him passionately. Sensing her need, he deepened the kiss, his tongue entering into a teasing duel with hers. When he heard her moan softly, he stepped it up a notch and Evie began tangling her fingers through his thick hair.

After a moment, Sheppard attempted to pull away for oxygen and Evie nipped his lower lip, which she had been sucking on, to show her disapproval. Gasping in air, he murmured, "Vixen." Evie grinned and began trailing light kisses down the side of his neck. Sheppard was reveling in the sensations her gentle touch was giving him when her computer suddenly beeped.

Evie started. "What was that?"

"Relax, beautiful. It's just your laptop powering down ," Sheppard said, placing a light kiss on her lips and then gently pushing her down onto the bed, supporting his weight on his hands on either side of her. He placed a kiss on the end of her nose and then trailed across her face to begin sucking on her earlobe.

Evie wasn't sure about where things would lead from here. "John… I don--"

"Shh," he whispered in her ear. "We won't go any farther than you want to." His hot breath on her ear sent shockwaves of pleasure through her, as was evidenced by the shiver that shot through her. Sheppard grinned. "What? You like that, beautiful?" he whispered, ending his question by nipping the top of her ear.

Evie gasped, startled by the fire his action sent coursing through her veins. "Mmhmm," she breathed. She wound her arms around his neck, gently stoking his head. Grinning wickedly, Sheppard blew a stream of hot air over her ear. A whispered expletive escaped Evie's lips and her hands tightly clenched the fabric of his shirt.

"I love you, Evie," he whispered as he began nibbling on her ear.

"Love you, too," she breathed, letting her head fall back, offering her throat to him. Sheppard released her ear and began trailing sensuous kisses down her neck. Evie moaned softly and threaded her fingers through his hair. She sighed contentedly as his teeth grazed the sensitive skin near the base of her neck. When he began sucking on her collarbone, however, she realized that she had to end this while she still had the willpower. Reluctant as she was, Evie gently pushed him back. "I'm sorry, John, I can't."

Sheppard sat back, leaning on his hand. "Yeah… Probably wouldn't be a good idea with your side still healing."

Evie shook her head as she sat up. "No, it's not that. It's just…" she trailed off quietly.

"Just what?" he pressed after a pause. "Is it regs? Is it _me_? What?"

"Definitely not you," she grinned. "It's really, umm…different. And kind of blunt."

"Try me," he replied gently.

"Okay," she nodded. "I made a commitment to myself that I wasn't going to have sex with anyone until I got married." She winced. '_Okay, Evie…that sounded a lot better in your head,'_ she thought to herself.

Sheppard took a moment to let her words sink in. "You mean you've _never_…?" Evie shook her head with an innocent smile. "Wow. That's really…"

"Stupid?"

"Hot!" he decided.

Evie laughed. "Okay… I've never gotten that response before."

"No, really," Sheppard said. "The fact that you would be that dedicated to your husband is just really…"

"Hot?" Evie grinned.

"Yeah." Sheppard returned the smile. Glancing at the clock that read eleven fifty-four, he commented, "Guess I should get back to my quarters." He slid off the bed, but Evie grabbed his wrist before he could leave.

"Don't I get a goodnight kiss?" she said, sticking out her lower lip and trying her best to look pitiful.

"Yes, ma'am," he grinned. He bent over her and captured her mouth. But it was no simple goodnight kiss. Sheppard smirked against her lips when his talent elicited a soft whimper from Evie. He pulled away a moment later, leaving her breathless. "Goodnight." With his boyish grin, he began walking towards the door.

"Don't let anyone see you leave," Evie called, removing her watch and ring and setting them on her bedside table. "I'd really enjoy not getting in trouble."

"If anyone asks, I'll tell them the truth, that I was having trouble sleeping. But I should probably omit the part where we made out," he said with a grin.

"Gee, ya think?" she replied sarcastically. "Goodnight, you goof."

With an exaggerated bow, he left her quarters, checking the corridors to make sure that no one saw him leave her room. He went to his quarters with a goofy grin on his face, glad no one could see it. Once inside his room, he grabbed some pajamas from his closet and then went into the bathroom, stepping into the shower and turning the water all the way to cold.


	5. Twitterpated

_"Strange as it seems she's the one I'm after. 'Cause she's bittersweet, she knocks me off of my feet. And I can't help myself; I don't want anyone else. She's a mystery, she's too much for me. But I keep coming back for more. She's just the girl I'm looking for." - The Click Five, "Just the Girl" _

"Wow, I'd forgotten how crazy Americans were in traffic," Summer commented as she watched several of the drivers exhibiting obvious road rage.

"We're crazy at everything," Evie joked. Summer made a reply, but Evie wasn't listening. She missed Sheppard. She became attached to people very quickly, and didn't do well being away from anyone that she liked, let alone loved. They hadn't hadanything more than their usual "co-worker" contact and occasional chat sessions since the night three weeks ago when Sheppard had informed her that he loved her. Evie had been fine with the limited contact, but now she, Summer, and Michael had just spent eighteen days cooped up on the Daedalus with the likes of Colonel Caldwell. To say Evie missed Sheppard was putting it lightly.

She missed the way he could make her melt with just one kiss. She missed the expression on his face when they flirted. She missed his smile. She even missed that unruly, sticking-out thing that his hair did. She missed the way he made her laugh…

"_You're kidding me!" Evie said with a giggle. "The natives got him drunk enough that they were able to put him in a dress?" _

_Grinning widely, he said in a pouting Hispanic accent, "Oh, like you never woken up in a dress before." _

_Evie laughed. "That is the best impression of Fez I've heard in a long time," she complimented. That show cracks me up." _

_"More than 'Gilligan's Island'?" Sheppard asked. _

_"No. Gilligan is funnier. Cuter, too," she answered. "But nothing beats Fez in that dress." _

_"'You mean nobody is going to get drunk and put on a dress?' 'Hey, Fez, you want a beer?' 'Sure!'" Sheppard quoted and Evie laughed again. "Here. One hundred pounds fresh from whatever the hell country I am from." With each new quote making Evie laugh harder, Sheppard just kept on going. "You have done a horrible thing with a children's toy. So…when do we meet your new fellah? Good day. I said, 'Good day.' And by the way, I hope you do not have a good day." Watching her continue to giggle, he said, "Man, you're easily amused." _

_"You say that like it's a bad thing," she teased. _

_Sheppard grinned. "And in answer to your previous question, 'Yes.' They seriously had him in a dress. Oh, and it was pink." _

_Evie laughed. "I would love to have seen that." _

_"Well," Sheppard said, leaning in closer. "If you swear never to tell a soul, I can show you the copy we made of the DV that we were able to take of him. He thinks he destroyed the only evidence." _

_"Ooh, your secret's safe with me," she said with a devilish grin… _

"Earth to Evie," Summer called.

Evie snapped out of it. "Huh?"

"I said, I sure am glad we talked Dr. Weir into letting us come back home for a week, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Evie nodded. Since Summer, Michael, and Evie had yet to make a voyage back to Earth, Elizabeth had graciously given them a one-week vacation, plus travel time. "I'm hoping to hook up with some old friends."

"Totally."

"Oh my gosh, look!" Evie cried, pointing to one of the pedestrians and his canine. "It's a puppy! Isn't it crazy that it's been over three years since we've seen a dog?"

"Hard to believe," Summer said nodding. "Ah, here we go. Hannah's Bridal Outlet. This is where Tammy got her dress," she said as they stepped into the small boutique.

"Welcome," said a woman who approached them from the window display. "May I help you?"

"I'm looking for a dress," Summer said with a smile.

"Congratulations," the woman, her nametag read LaFawnduh, said. Noting that Summer was slightly older than the young brides to which she was accustomed, she asked "Which marriage?"

"Uhh, my first and last," Summer answered.

"That's what we _all_ think," the woman replied dejectedly. "Right this way." She began walking in the direction of the gowns.

Summer looked over at Evie and raised an eyebrow. Evie just shrugged. "You noticed _she_ doesn't have a wedding ring, right?" Evie commented.

Summer nodded. "But I could tell by the tanline that she used to,"she added sadly.

"Oh, cheer up," Evie said, bumping her friend's shoulder. "You and Michael will be together for forever."

"Yes, ma'am, we will be." Summer grinned.

* * *

Like a child waiting for a sibling or friend to return from camp, Sheppard had been marking off the days on his calendar, anxious for Evie to return. He sighed dejectedly. Twenty-three more days, and she'd already been gone nearly three weeks. Despite his best efforts to take things slowly, he had fallen for her hard. Wanting to ease some of his tension, he decided to go for some target practice. 

Stepping into the room, he placed on the required safety glasses and ear protectors. Then, using his nine millimeter, he began firing into the target, each one a kill shot. He knew he didn't really need the practice, but it allowed him to concentrate on something other than how much he missed Evie. He missed her laughter and wit most of all. He smiled as he ejected the empty clip and reached for another. She had had several snappy comments on her last mission with him. Teyla had gotten sick at the last moment and when Elizabeth had allowed Sheppard to choose a replacement, he had, of course, selected Evie…

_"How much farther, sir?" Evie asked after they had walked nearly four miles through the forest. _

_"Yeah, it's kinda hot out here," Rodney commented. _

_"According to the UAV, it should only be about two more miles," Sheppard answered. "Don't be whiny." _

_Evie looked over at Rodney and wiggled her eyebrows. "I'm tired." _

_Rodney immediately picked up on her intentions. "My feet hurt." _

_"How much longer?" _

_"When we gonna get there?" _

_"This is boring." _

_"I'm hungry." _

_Without turning around, Sheppard called back in a mock-warning tone, "Don't make me come back there." _

_Evie and Rodney exchanged amused grins. As they continued walking, Rodney's hand accidentally brushed Evie's. "You trying to hold hands with me, Lieutenant?" Rodney teased. _

_"No. Gosh, Rodney, quit fantasizing," Evie said, barely managing to keep her face straight. Sheppard smirked as they continued walking through the thick forest. _

_After a moment, Evie noticed that Rodney appeared to be pouting. "Relax, Rodney, I was just messing with ya," she said, bumping her shoulder against his. There was a sudden whooshing sound, as of something sliding quickly through the grass, and then Evie and Rodney found themselves being abruptly yanked off their feet, a thickly weaved net encompassing them and pulling them about ten feet up in the air. _

_The net, obviously intended for smaller prey, had them pressed against each other, despite Rodney's efforts to push away from Evie. "What's the matter, Rodney? You claustrophobic?" Evie asked with a grin, her face only inches from his. "Or is it just being in close proximity with a woman?" Before Rodney had a chance to answer, Evie called, "A little help!" to Sheppard and Ronon who had been several yards ahead of them. _

_The two men were already almost beneath the net when Evie yelled for them. "And just what do you two think you're doing?" Sheppard called, looking up at his two teammates dangling there helplessly. _

_"Oh, you know, we thought we'd hang out for a while," Evie answered sarcastically. _

_"Well, can you cut yourselves down?" he asked, trying to hide his amused smile. _

_"Maybe." Evie tried to reach her knife secured at her waist, but couldn't bring her hands around behind her back. "Rodney, I can't reach my knife. Think you can stop hyperventilating long enough to grab it?" she asked. Rodney nodded and attempted to reach around her. As he fumbled across her lower back, Evie couldn't resist teasing, "Rodney, what did I tell you about fantasizing?" _

_"Would you just hold still?" Rodney mumbled, his fingers finally grasping the desired weapon. "Got it!" Unfortunately, as he attempted to bring his hands back around, the knife slipped from his grasp. "Oops. Lost it." _

_"Oh, for pete's sake," Sheppard muttered when he saw the knife fall to the ground. Noticing that Ronon had already found the main cord tied to a trunk a few feet away and was standing near it with knife drawn, Sheppard said, "Hey, Ronon, think you could cut the rope and--" With a quick slash, Ronon severed the rope, Rodney and Evie falling the ground with muffled groans. "--let them down slowly. Right." Ronon shrugged and the two men approached the tangled heap. "You two alright?" Sheppard asked, trying to untangle his companions. _

_"I will be as soon as you get this heifer off me," Evie groaned from underneath Rodney. _

_"Heifer!" Rodney repeated, insulted, as he rolled off her with a pained grunt. He reached a hand up to Ronon. "Well, I nev--ooh!" Ronon yanked Rodney roughly to his feet. "Careful!" Rodney cried. "I think I might have cracked a rib," he said, examining his chest gingerly. _

_"**You** might have a cracked rib?" Evie asked incredulously as Sheppard pulled her up. "**You** didn't have a pudgy scientist lying on you." _

_"Pudgy! And, hey, I didn't **ask** to be the one on top," Rodney countered. Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization of what he had just said. The other three snickered for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Wait…I didn't mean…I…uhh, Evie?" _

_"Not helping you out of that one, McKay," she said with a giggle, shaking her head…

* * *

_

"Ugh, no," Summer said, waving the attendant away. "Not _that_ one. If I wanted to look like a ragamuffin, I would have gone shopping at a thrift store." Nodding ashamedly, the woman quickly ran off to retrieve the desired dress.

"Be _nice_, Summer," Evie chastised her friend. "She's only trying to help."

Summer sighed. "I know, I know. I'm sorry." She slipped the pair of white sandals off her feet and reached for the next box of shoes they had selected. "This is just a really important decision, you know? I want to look beautiful for Michael." She slid her feet into the ivory stilettos and walked a few steps in them. "_Definite_ no," she said, kicking them off.

"Girl, Michael would think you were beautiful if you came in barefoot, wearing a potato sack," Evie assured her.

Summer laughed. "True. True."

"Are you nervous?" Evie asked after a moment.

"Not right now, but I'm sure I will be," the other woman answered. "And I _know_ Michael will be." She laughed suddenly. "Remember when he proposed?"

Evie giggled. "The poor dear. I'd been coaching him for days and he still blew it."

"He didn't _blow it_," Summer corrected, trying on another pair of shoes. "He just did it in his own unique way." She laughed again at the fond memory…

"_This was so sweet, Michael," Summer said from where she lay on the blanket next to her boyfriend. They had flown to the mainland for a late afternoon picnic and Michael had played the perfect gentleman the entire time. "But, what's the occasion?" _

_"Well, it's Valentine's day, a-and I love you," Michael offered nervously. _

_"Aww, that's so thoughtful." Summer smiled. "I love you, too, babe," she said, resting a hand on his knee. _

_Reaching for the last piece of blueberry pie, Michael's shaking hand accidentally knocked over his glass of Kool-Aid(indeed, wine would have been more romantic, but neither one of them drank), spilling the crimson liquid all over Summer's blouse. Summer yelped, the cold drink soaking through to her skin. _

_"Oh, man, Summer, I'm so sorry!" Michael exclaimed, grabbing the rest of the napkins and handing them to her, not wanting to take the liberty of wiping off her chest. _

_"It's okay, Michael. I'll live," Summer said, blotting the red stains with the napkins. "This blouse has probably had it, but that's okay. I don't wear it much anyway," she said, trying to ease his tension; he looked like he was about to completely freak out. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked, standing up to stretch out her shirt and wipe away the rest of the Kool-Aid. "You've been jittery all evening." _

_"Yeah, I'm fine," he mumbled. "I'd just hoped for a more romantic lead-in." _

_Summer's heart skipped a beat and her hands immediately stilled. "Lead-in for what?" she asked. Looking down, she noticed that Michael had raised himself up to one knee and was fumbling in his pocket. "Ohmigosh, Michael…" she breathed, the napkins falling from her grasp. _

_He finally managed to find the small box and yanked it from his pocket. "Summer," he murmured, opening the box to reveal a ring with a gorgeous diamond. "Will you marry me?" His green eyes looked expectantly into hers. _

_A slow smile spread across Summer's face and she began nodding, slowly at first, then more emphatically. "Yes!" _

_Michael breathed a sigh of relief. Grinning widely, he stood to his feet and slid the ring onto Summer's finger. Although it seemed rather redundant after proposing, Michael proclaimed it anyway. "I love you so much, Summer." _

_"Clearly," she joked, then replied, "I love you, too." Wrapping his arms around her waist, Michael pulled her into a passionate embrace, the gentle kiss soon turning into a much longer, questing one…

* * *

_

"So, Rodney," Sheppard said, idly wandering around McKay's lab, "What are you working on?"

"I'm trying to translate some more of the information in the Ancient database."

Sheppard grunted his approval and continued poking around with the equipment.

Rodney frowned. "Do you actually have any interest at all in what I'm doing, or are you just bored?" he asked, glancing up to watch Sheppard touch the different machines. '_He always has to touch…'_ Rodney mused to himself, returning his focus to the computer.

"Just bored," Sheppard answered, poking a button and causing a machine to start beeping.

"What did you do?" Rodney asked, annoyed, as he pushed away from the desk, rolling over to the beeping apparatus.

"Nothing," Sheppard said, holding his hands up innocently.

Rodney punched a few buttons on the expensive machine and the beeping ceased. He sighed as he turned to frown at Sheppard. "Don't touch anything, okay?"

Sheppard nodded and backed off. But only for a few moments. When Rodney returned to hunching over his computer, Sheppard began reading over his shoulder. "What's that mean?" he asked, pointing at a random symbol on the screen.

"It's a symbol the Ancients used for one of their enemies," Rodney explained, his patience wearing thin. "The Kray."

Sheppard nodded and then was quiet again for a whole minute. "What's that one?" he asked, pointing to the screen again.

"Look, Colonel, I'm trying to work here!" Rodney cried, exasperated. "Can't you go harass somebody else?"

"Sorry, sorry," Sheppard said, taking a step back.

"It's your day off," Rodney said, shooing him out of the lab. "Go _do_ something."

"Fine. What do you suggest I do?" Sheppard asked, backing up.

"I don't know. I really don't care. Just let me work on this, okay?" Having pushed Sheppard out of the doorway, Rodney returned to his computer.

Sheppard snorted. Rodney needed to loosen up; it was his day off, too. He sighed, trying to think of something he could do to occupy his time. Perhaps he'd go to the rec room and play someone on the air hockey or foosball tables that had been brought back on one of the Daedalus's trips. Elizabeth had been convinced by Sheppard and several others that some form of recreation was needed, and so several game tables(along with a load of paintball guns) had been ordered. Walking into the room, Sheppard saw Zelenka beating Johnson miserably at foosball. Zelenka was the reigning champion at the game. And Evie was the reining "un-champion", as she liked to refer to herself…

_"Lieutenant Brooks," Sheppard called into his radio. "Paging Lieutenant Brooks." _

_"Yes, sir?" Evie asked from her stance in the rec room, manning the foosball controls. _

_"We're debriefing in Elizabeth's office in fifteen," Sheppard informed her. _

_"I'll be there in a minute, sir. Right now I'm busy kicking Zelenka's butt at foosball." She grunted and Sheppard could vaguely hear the ball being shot back and forth. _

_He barely caught Zelenka's "I beg to differ, Lieutenant. It is **I **who am kicking **your** butt." The smirk was obvious in the scientist's voice. "Alright, Lieutenant," Sheppard said with a grin. "Any idea when you'll be done?" _

_"Well, this game should be ov-- Aww, what was **that**!" she cried. "That was in! That was **so** in!" Zelenka laughed gleefully in the background. "I swear he's got this table rigged. Anyways, we should be done soon. I'll come up as soon as we finish thi-- Don't **do** that! Darn you, Radek. Alright, c'mon. Best out of seventeen." Sheppard just laughed…_

XXXXXX

The Daedalus returned right on schedule, twenty-three days later, and while Summer and Michael carefully put away their wedding clothes, Evie made a beeline for Elizabeth's office, hoping to find Sheppard there. Unfortunately, she did not. However, Elizabeth told her that Sheppard had just left a few minutes ago, saying something about turning in for the evening. "Would you like me to radio him?" Elizabeth asked.

"Oh, no, ma'am," Evie said quickly. "I'll find him." With that, she exited the room, leaving a very amusedly perplexed Elizabeth.

After knocking on his door and receiving no reply, Evie decided to check the balcony. He had mentioned once that he liked to watch the ocean when he was having trouble falling asleep. As luck would have it, she saw his silhouette framed against the sunset. Quietly sneaking up to stand behind him, Evie quickly covered his eyes. "Guess who?" she said.

Recognizing her voice, he decided to tease her with a quote. "Well," he said, bringing his hands up to hers and slowly feeling his way up her arms, "It's either Evie…or the cold, clammy hands of death."

Evie giggled and played along. "Iiiiiiiit's Evie!" she announced, removing her hands. Sheppard turned around and smiled at her. "So, did you miss me?" she asked.

"Nope. Not at all," he answered. "Teyla kept me company the whole time."

Evie pretended to be hurt by this remark. "Well, fine then. I'll just go see what Ronon's up to," she said, knowing that Sheppard knew that she found Ronon attractive, and turned to leave.

"Oh, no you don't," Sheppard murmured, grabbing her arm and yanking her against him. He captured her mouth, wrapping his arms around her waist. He deepened the kiss after only a few seconds, then picked her up, lifting her feet off the floor and swinging her around a few times.

"Wow," Evie managed when he set her down a moment later. "I missed you, too," she said breathlessly.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder." He smiled.

"I was _so_ just about to say that," she said with a laugh.

Sheppard grinned. "See? We _do_ have a connection," he joked, gesturing between them. He slipped his arms around her waist and grinned. "Mmm, my cousin Jenny would _never_ approve of such 'fraternization.'"

"Why not?" she asked, resting her hands on his arms.

"Oh, she's just evil like that." Evie smiled. "What do you say we go get some coffee?" he suggested. "We can catch up."

"I'd like that," she answered, smiling. Sheppard nodded, then brushed his lips against hers for one last kiss.

"Aww, how sweet," said a female voice behind them. Sheppard immediately jerked away and found himself staring at Summer. "The lovers reunite at last," she said with a grin.

"No, wait…uhh…" Sheppard tried his best to play it cool, but was failing miserably. "We didn't, uhh…I mean…it's not wha…"

Evie and Summer began laughing at him. Sheppard raised an eyebrow, utterly confused. "She already knew, genius," Evie said, chuckling.

"Oh." Sheppard's brow furrowed slightly as he tumbled this new information around in his mind. After a moment, he said, "In that case, Captain, would you care to join us for coffee?"

Summer shook her head. "Sorry, I can't. I have…_plans_ to discuss with Dr. Weir." She finished with a broad grin.

Evie giggled and Sheppard nodded with a knowing smile. "I'm excited for you both," he congratulated.

"Thank you, sir," Summer said with a smile. "Well, you two have fun without me," she said, leaving the two lovebirds alone.


	6. And the Bride Wore White

**Author's Note: **This will be my last post for about a week because I'm Camp Barnabas bound! YAYA! Next chappie will be slightly fluffy, but the angst is starting to take over. ;) Thanks to all who've been reviewing. Y'all make my day.

* * *

"_And that is why I know it's true: you're for me and I'm for you. And my world just can't be right without you in my life. I wonder what God was thinking when he created you. I wonder if he knew everything I would need, because he made all my dreams come true. When God made you, he must have been thinking about me." - Newsong and Natalie Grant, "When God Made You"_

"I always knew you'd beat me to it," Evie said, releasing the curling iron and gently letting the ringlet join the rest of Summer's brunette locks.

"Yes, well, if you and the Colonel would just get your act together…" Summer said, fidgeting nervously with the pearls around her neck.

"That would be breaking regulations and you know it," Evie responded, curling another section her best friend's hair.

"Since when are you afraid to break the rules?" Summer laughed.

"Since _this_ time it could get me court-martialed," Evie answered matter-of-factly. She let the final curl join the others. "There. All done." Summer smiled and looked at herself in the mirror. "You nervous?" Evie asked, reaching for Summer's crown; the Captain had selected a small, diamond-studded tiara to hold her sheer veil in place.

"Duh," Summer replied simply. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Ooh, I've got butterflies like you wouldn't believe," she said, placing a hand on her stomach.

"Oh, come on, he's the love of your life, your Prince Charming," Evie said, placing the tiara on her friend's head and adjusting it so it sat perfectly. "What's there to be nervous about?" she asked, smiling.

"I know, I know." Summer glanced at the clock. It was nearly time. She turned to Evie. "Well, how do I look?"

"Just like a princess," Evie answered with a smile. "A beautiful bride." She laughed. "The princess bride!"

Summer giggled. "Aaaaas yooooou wiiiiiiiiish…"

Evie grinned. "Father Braddick should _so_ start his message with 'Mawwige. Mawwige is what bwings us togethuh today.'"

"That bwessed awwangement," Summer continued with a grin. "That dweam wiffin a dweam."

Both women laughed. "If Michael doesn't have trouble speaking when he sees you in this," Evie complimented, "the boy's got problems." Summer beamed. "You ready?"

"Aboluby," Summer replied, using her trademark phrase. She hugged Evie tightly. "Thanks, Evie."

"No problem. Now let's get you hitched," Evie teased, taking her friend's arm and leading her to the Great Hall, where the ceremony was to take place. (They had discovered this large room a few months ago and supposed the Ancients had used it as some type of meeting place. The high, vaulted ceilings and many windows, though, made it a wonderful wedding chapel.) She handed her off to Major Johnson, who was to walk her down the aisle; the kind man had always been a father figure to the two younger women on his team. When Evie entered the room, Michael was immediately by her side, seemingly more anxious than Summer.

"Is she ready? I-is she nervous? What does her dress look like?" he asked, the questions spilling from his mouth as he nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"Calm down, Michael," Evie said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Ooh, I like the penguin suit," she said, commenting on the tuxedo he had brought back on the trip that he, Summer, and Evie had taken to Earth. "Summer's fine. A little nervous, but she'll be alright. And she looks great. As in, seriously hot, if I'm allowed to say that in reference to another woman." Michael grinned and nodded. "Now, before you hyperventilate yourself, I suggest you join Father Braddick at the front so we can start this."

Michael hugged Evie and then quickly walked down to where the priest was waiting. Evie smiled and shook her head as she searched for an empty chair. She saw Sheppard waving to her from a few chairs away. "Saved you a spot," he said, gesturing to the chair beside him.

"Thank you," she said, sitting down. She opened her mouth to say something more, but was cut off by Father Braddick clearing his throat. The chatter quickly ceased and the kindly priest began his opening words.

When he was finished with the "we are gathered here today" spiel, the Wedding March was played over the Atlantis speakers, and those gathered stood, as was custom, to honor the bride. All heads turned to the back of the room to watch as Summer, escorted by Johnson, slowly made her way down the aisle, smiling joyfully. When Michael saw his beautiful bride-to-be, his jaw nearly dropped.

Summer looked absolutely stunning in her white dress. The curved collar of the bodice was inset with pearls and lace, this pattern continuing onto the two-inch, off-the-shoulder sleeves. Her garment laced up in the back and accentuated her figure. Slender threads of embroidery, covered with sparkling crystals, swirled through the fabric. The skirt of the dress was full, but loose, and trailed behind her just a foot, creating a short train.

Michael grinned as he watched the love of his life slowly approach him. When she reached him, Johnson slipped him arm out of Summer's and returned to his seat, Michael taking Summer's hand in his and squeezing it nervously. He mouthed a quick "I love you", which Summer returned, before turning to face the priest.

After a brief message on the subject of love, the couple exchanged vows. "Do you, Michael James Murphy, take Summer to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, until death do you part?"

"I do," Michael said, hoping that the congregation couldn't see him shaking.

"And do you, Summer Christine Akerly," Braddick continued, "take Michael to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, until death do you part?"

"I do," Summer said, trying not to laugh nervously when she saw a tear slide down Michael's cheek.

There was a brief pause as Father Braddick turned to where the rings sat on a pillow on the pedestal beside him. "Michael, repeat after me," he instructed. "With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed," Michael managed past the growing lump in his throat, slipping the thin band onto Summer's finger. Summer repeated the ritual, smiling encouragingly at her overcome groom.

"Then by the power vested in me, I pronounce you man and wife," Braddick said with a smile. "You may kiss the bride."

Gently placing a hand on the side of her face, Michael lovingly kissed his new wife. Summer happily returned the embrace. When they broke the kiss, the congregation rose to their feet and applauded. Michael took Summer's hand in his and they slowly made their way back down the aisle.

Evie wiped away a few happy tears of her own as she watched her best friend. "Makes you wonder, doesn't it?" Sheppard whispered.

"About what?" Evie asked quietly, keeping her eyes on Summer.

"What it would be like…"

"We can't, John, and you know that," Evie said, looking down.

"But, Evi--"

"So it's best not to think about what we can't have," Evie said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go congratulate Mrs. Murphy. Wow…" She grinned. "_That's_ going to take some getting used to."

XXXXXX

The reception that followed was an interesting one, what with drinks all around. An inebriated someone had managed to gain control of the CD player, and there was now a group of tipsy Atlanteans immensely enjoying themselves by attempting to dance to the beat of "I Like to Move It". Then there was the occasional cake-in-face incident, but Sheppard hadn't been drunk when he had smeared the dessert across Evie's face. After wiping the cake off, she had promptly gained retribution by rat-tailing him with one of the cloth napkins, her weapon making a loud "snap" as it connected with his rear end.

After about an hour and a half, Summer and Michael were ready to leave. They had been given permission to take a week off, and were planning to have their honeymoon in Venalia. Those who were lucid enough gathered as Summer prepared to throw her bouquet of flowers. With her back to the crowd, she tossed them over her head, turning around in time to see a very surprised Rodney catch her flowers. He smiled, amused, and Summer just laughed.

In keeping with tradition, Michael sat his bride down in a chair and sneaked his hands under her dress. He grinned as he slid them up her leg until he found her garter. He slowly pulled it off and then tossed it toward the group of waiting men. When Carson's hand closed around the intimate garment, the good doctor couldn't help but blush. With a mischievous grin, rare for the Scotsman, he slid it into his pocket, unaware of the glare that Laura Cadman was shooting him.

The procession moved into the Gate Room, and Evie handed Michael the two small duffels they had packed. She hugged Summer as the Gate technician dialed M9X-424, home of the land of Venalia. "You two have fun," Evie said, releasing her friend.

"Oh, I assure you we will," Michael said with a grin, and Summer blushed. Taking his beloved's hand, they stepped through the event horizon as the rest of Atlantis cheered their goodbye's.

Compared with excitement of her best friend's wedding, the rest of the afternoon was dull and uneventful for Evie. Until evening, that is. She was walking down the hall to her quarters when she heard a familiar voice behind her. The voice that made her smile, that made her breathe funny on some days. "There you are. I've been looking all over for you."

"Good evening, Colonel," she said, turning around. "You could have called me on the radio if you couldn't find me, you know."

"And said what? 'I _want_ you, Lieutenant'?"

She saw his eyes dart from her eyes to her lips, then back again. She put a hand on his chest, preventing him from following though. "Someone might see," she cautioned.

"The only people up this late are working in the Control Room," he countered, then gave her his best puppy dog eyes. "Just one little kiss?"

Evie couldn't help but smile at his attempt to look pitiful; he was succeeding quite well. "Oh, fine," she said, grabbing the edges of his jacket and pulling him against her. With a roguish grin, he pressed her lightly against the wall and proceeded to kiss her senseless. Unfortunately, they were so caught up in each other that they didn't notice the approaching footsteps. The man, as oblivious to the world as they were, rounded the corner and smacked right into them. Startled, Evie and Sheppard immediately separated.

Rodney looked up from his data pad, which he had been studying intently. He noticed the "deer in the headlights" expression on both their faces, but the situation didn't click in his mind. "So sorry. I should have been paying more attention…to where I wa-" His eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened as the light bulb finally went on. "Holy c--"

Sheppard clapped a hand over Rodney's mouth and pinned the poor scientist against the wall. "Don't you dare tell a soul," Sheppard hissed. Evie looked up and down the hall furtively. Rodney shook his head as best as he could with Sheppard pressing him against the wall. "I swear to you, Rodney, if you breathe a word of this to _anyone_, I'll… I'l--" Rodney mumbled something behind Sheppard's hand. "What?" Sheppard asked, cautiously removing his hand.

"If I breathe a word of this to anyone, you'll gut me and clean me like a fish," Rodney finished the threat for Sheppard.

Sheppard raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "Yeah. Exactly. You swear you won't tell anyone?" he asked.

"I swear, I swear!" Rodney promised, the look in Sheppard's eyes telling him all he needed to know, not that he would have ratted, anyway.

Sheppard released Rodney, straightening the scientist's ruffled shirt. "Good evening, Doctor," he said and then nodded to Evie. "Lieutenant."

Still slightly shaken, Rodney looked over at Evie with a questioning glance. Evie just shrugged and said, "Goodnight, Rodney," before turning and walking to her quarters.

Rodney stood there for several moments, trying to wrap his head around this newfound knowledge. "I…he just…and she…" he muttered to himself, gesturing absently. "But they're both…huh…" He shook his head, then returned his attention to his data pad and continued on his journey to the Control Room. Suddenly he stopped. _Now_ Sheppard's odd behavior on last week's joint mission made sense…

"_So, we **think** that the power fluctuations we picked up could have been caused by the energy shield the Trocars use to protect their city," Rodney explained, "but as they won't let us anywhere near the shield generator, we can't be sure. I get the feeling these people don't trust us even after we fixed their well. What do you think, Colonel?" _

_Sheppard didn't respond, as he was busy staring at something behind Rodney. One of his boyish Sheppard grins slowly crossed his face. _

_"Colonel?" Rodney tried again. He turned to see what Sheppard found so fascinating, but only saw Major Johnson's team gearing up and preparing to return to Atlantis. "Sheppard? Earth to Sheppard!" he called, waving his hand in front of the other man's face. _

_Sheppard snapped out of his reverie with a jerk. "Sorry, what?" _

_Rodney sighed in exasperation. "Did you hear a word of what I said?" _

_Sheppard grinned sheepishly. "Something about power fluctuations, shields, and…a whale?" _

_Rodney rolled his eyes. "A **well**, Colonel, not a whale. Just what were you staring at, anyway?" he asked, turning back around. _

_Sheppard grinned as he watched Evie and then quickly covered with, "Uhh…sunset!" _

_Rodney snorted, but let the lame excuse pass. The clueless scientist didn't realize what Sheppard had been watching, but he didn't care to press the matter further. "Whatever. Now will you please try to focus?" _

_Sheppard directed his attention to Rodney and nodded… _

"Hmph," Rodney said, resuming his walk to the Control Room. "Sunset, indeed."


	7. If Only, If Only

**Author's Note: **Dude! Camp Barnabas rocked my socks off! Saying that God is awesome would be like saying that Sheppard is halfway decent-looking. ;) Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy this little chapter, 'cause it's the last bit of happy fluff for a good while. :evil grin:

* * *

_"We're not going anywhere, so why can't I just tell you that I care? 'Cause I'm feeling nervous, trying to be so perfect. 'Cause I know you're worth it. You're worth it, yeah. If I could say what I want to say, I'd say I wanna blow you away, be with you every night. Am I squeezing you too tight? If I could say what I want to see. I wanna see you go down on one knee, marry me today. I guess I'm wishing my life away with these things I'll never say." - Avril Lavigne, "Things I'll Never Say" _

After annoying nearly everyone she ran into by gleefully announcing, "Summer's coming home today!" Evie stood in the Gate Room anxiously awaiting her friends' return.

"Incoming wormhole," the Gate technician called. "Captain Akerly's IDC."

"Ah-ah, Charles," Evie said, wagging her finger at him. "Captain _Murphy's_ IDC."

Charles grinned. "Yes, ma'am." He lowered the shield and within a few moments, the newlyweds stepped through the Gate.

Evie ran quickly down the steps and nearly tackled her friend. "Summer!" she cried, hugging her friend tightly.

"Oof. I missed you, too," Summer said, dropping her duffel and returning the embrace.

Releasing Summer after a moment, Evie hugged Michael as well. "You two have fun?" she asked.

Michael just looked over at Summer and smirked. "'Fun' doesn't even begin to describe what we--"

"Michael!" Summer exclaimed, giving him a look. Her husband raised his hands in resignation. Summer sighed and turned to Evie. "Yes, we had a good time."

"I'm glad." Evie smiled. "Wanna come to the mess hall for a cookie? You can tell me all about it."

"Sounds good," Summer said, handing her duffel to Michael. "Will you get the bags, dear?" she teased.

"Of course, darling," he answered sweetly. "I'll see you ladies later."

Before letting her husband leave, Summer gently took his face in her hands and kissed him deeply. She released him a moment later, leaving the man with a goofy grin on his face as he turned to go.

"My, my," Evie teased as they began walking to the mess hall. "That was a lot of PDA for 'chaste little Summer.'" Summer merely shrugged.

They reached the mess hall a few minutes later, and snagged some leftover cookies, taking a seat at one of the tables. "So?" Evie smiled expectantly at her friend.

"So…what?" Summer asked.

"Oh, don't even!" Evie said. "You know _exactly_ what I mean. How was it?" Summer just grinned in response. "Aww, c'mon," Evie pressed. "Don't make me go ask Michael."

"Mmm…" Summer thought for a minute. "Worth waiting for. How's that answer?"

"Acceptable," Evie answered with a smile.

"So, what did I miss?" Summer asked.

"Well," Evie said, leaning closer to Summer and lowering her voice. "Stumpy broke up with Cupcake, but I hope they're gonna get back together, and I think Rodney has a thing for that biologist Mary."

Summer blinked. "No. I meant did anything _important_ happen?"

"Did you hear me? Stumpy! Dumped! Cupcake!"

Summer rolled her eyes. "This is like, what, the eighth time? They'll get back together. Now, seriously. Did anything major happen?"

Evie shook her head. "Nobody died, the Wraith didn't attack, and Rodney still hasn't had his monthly nervous breakdown," she finished with a grin.

Summer laughed. "So, Rodney and Mary, huh?"

"Yep," Evie nodded, amused by the pairing.

"Isn't she Kate Heightmeyer's younger sister?" Summer asked.

"Yeah." When Dr. Weir had taken the senior staff members back to Earth to select more personnel for Atlantis, Kate had asked that they look up her biologist sister, knowing that Mary would readily accept the offer. "I guess when Kate turned him down he decided to go for the next best thing. The adorable thing is…I think Mary likes him back," Evie confided with a grin.

"Now there's a cute couple for ya."

"You should have seen them last night." Evie smirked. "I was helping Dr. Croker with something in the lab and Mary and Rodney were geek flirting!" She couldn't help but giggle quietly.

"'Geek flirting'?" Summer asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You know, that shy, subtle kind of flirting that geeks do," Evie said, gesturing with her hands. "Get this, he went and got her a cup of coffee."

"Oooh," Summer gushed exaggeratedly.

"Oh, come on, it was cute!" Evie insisted. "And she gave him this shy little smile. But it was like flirtatious at the same time, you know? Then they kept exchanging looks for the rest of the night. But before Mary left, she slipped a note to Rodney."

"Ooh, wow, a note," Summer teased her "hopeless romantic" friend.

"Okay, you know what?" Evie said, shooting a mock glare to the woman across from her. "I think geek love is cute. Deal with it."

"Yes, ma'am," Summer replied, taking another bite of her cookie.

XXXXXX

22:41:58 jacksgal: you _do_ realize we've been talking for almost two hours now, right?

22:42:09 flyboyjes: is there soemthing wrong with that?

22:42:11 flyboyjes: something

22:42:15 jacksgal: nothing at all. I was just commenting

22:42:20 flyboyjes: you're easy to talk to

22:42:32 jacksgal: yes, talking is something that Evie is very good at :D

22:42:39 jacksgal: something at which Evie is very good

22:42:41 flyboyjes?

22:42:52 jacksgal: my CO back on Earth was a grammar freak

22:42:57 flyboyjes: oh you poor dear

22:43:01 jacksgal:)

22:43:05 jacksgal: brb

22:43:09 flyboyjes: bathroom break?

22:43:13 jacksgal: ha! No, you goof. Be right back.

22:43:15 flyboyjes: ah.

22:43:17 flyboyjes: my bad

22:43:48 jacksgal: okay, back.

22:43:55 jacksgal: I had to put on my happy song :D

22:44:02 flyboyjes: you have a happy song?

22:44:16 jacksgal: I'm walking on sunshiiiiiiiiiiiiine. whoa-oh-oh! and don't it feel good? hey!

22:44:18 flyboyjes:D

22:44:30 jacksgal: ugh. did you see what Kavanagh brought back on the Daedalus?

22:44:35 flyboyjes:rolls eyes: I can only imagine…

22:44:41 jacksgal: a sports illustrated swimsuit editoin

22:44:42 jacksgal: editin

22:44:44 jacksgal: edition! gah!

22:44:46 flyboyjes: really?

22:44:57 jacksgal: yeah! and the little pervert shared it with all the guys on his research team. :P

22:45:03 flyboyjes: …

22:45:09 jacksgal: oh please don't tell me you looked at it, too…

22:45:13 flyboyjes: no, I've been trying to be better…

22:45:15 jacksgal: _trying?_ ;)

22:45:21 flyboyjes: you make me see women differently now

22:45:29 flyboyjes: I mean, I wouldn't want you looking at guys that way…I'd get jealous ;)

22:45:36 jacksgal:laughs: so, you're saying you used to? o0

22:45:39 flyboyjes:blushes:

22:45:43 jacksgal: naughty John! Hehe

22:45:47 jacksgal: just so long as it wasn't a playboy :P

22:45:56 flyboyjes: …

22:46:02 jacksgal: ewww! you're kidding me!

22:46:09 flyboyjes: whaaaaaat? I was twelve! a friend gave it to me!

22:46:12 jacksgal: perv…:P:P:P

22:46:16 flyboyjes: but I didn't get very far.

22:46:24 jacksgal: hmph. and what is that s'posed to mean?

22:46:33 flyboyjes: well, I was so scared that my parents would come into my room and find me reading it that I put it up before I got to the good stuff.

22:46:35 jacksgal:raises eyebrows:

22:46:40 flyboyjes: no, wait! the bad stuff! the _bad_ stuff!

22:46:42 jacksgal: ha!

22:46:48 jacksgal: well, if _I_ ever catch you looking at something like that, it will be the last thing you'll ever do

22:46:51 flyboyjes: yes, ma'am. :bows:

22:47:03 flyboyjes: aah! now you've got that song stuck in my head! darn you!

22:47:07 jacksgal: yaaaaaaaay! I have succeeded:D

22:47:11 flyboyjes: you're a trip, Evie

22:47:14 jacksgal: but you love me anyway ;)

22:47:15 jacksgal: right?

22:47:17 jacksgal: okay, you hesitated

22:47:17 flyboyjes: yes, I love you

22:47:26 jacksgal: no, you had to stop and think about it. I know when I've been insulted! I know when I've been insulted!

22:47:30 flyboyjes: ooh! I know that one! Uhh… :thinks really hard:

22:47:34 jacksgal: don't hurt yourself.

22:47:44 flyboyjes: Charlie Brown Christmas! yes! I'm so good…

22:47:52 jacksgal: yay for you. now if you'll excuse me, I'll go sulk in my unlovedness

22:47:55 flyboyjes: unlovedness?

22:47:58 jacksgal: yes. It's a word now.

22:48:01 flyboyjes: I see.

22:48:06 flyboyjes: fine, you go sulk, I'll see what Elizabeth is doing…

**22:48:08 _flyboyjes_ is Away**

22:48:10 jacksgal: nooooooooooooooooo!

22:48:20 flyboyjes: heh

**22:48:24 _flyboyjes_ has returned from Away**

22:48:26 jacksgal: yay!

22:48:28 jacksgal: I wuv oo:D

22:48:31 flyboyjes: you, too, beautiful

22:48:33 jacksgal:D

22:48:40 jacksgal: you know, we should come up with some code phrase or something so that we can say that over the radio or when other people are around.

22:48:44 flyboyjes: that'd be good.

22:48:52 jacksgal: I shall go sit in my thoughtful spot…:think, think, think:

22:48:54 flyboyjes: ooh! You got it!

22:48:57 jacksgal: I got what?

22:49:04 flyboyjes: we could use movie quotes:D

22:49:08 jacksgal: yay! You're so smart : )

22:49:15 flyboyjes: could have been Mensa.

22:49:21 jacksgal: ugh. Do you _have_ to mention that every time?

22:49:23 flyboyjes:D

22:49:29 jacksgal: fine then, if you're so smart, think of a quote :P

22:49:34 flyboyjes: alright then I will :P:P

22:49:37 jacksgal:P:P:P

22:49:39 flyboyjes:P:P:P:P

22:49:45 jacksgal:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P don't start this with me, 'cause I _will_ win.

22:49:46 jacksgal:P

22:49:52 flyboyjes: will you be quiet, woman? I'm thinking!

22:50:04 jacksgal: This is a song that never ends. It just goes on and on my friends!

22:50:14 jacksgal: Some people started singing it not knowing waht it was and they'll continue singing it forever just because…

22:50:19 flyboyjes: you want me to hurt you, don't you?

22:50:21 jacksgal:)

22:50:30 jacksgal: ha! I got one!

22:50:33 flyboyjes: let's hear it.

22:50:35 jacksgal: "As you wish." :D

22:50:37 flyboyjes: of course!

22:50:43 flyboyjes: because "what he really meant was 'I love you.'"

22:50:49 jacksgal: yay! 'course that won't work in all situations…

22:50:54 flyboyjes: no, I suppose not…

22:51:02 jacksgal. I'm sorry, Jessie, I tried everything.

22:51:05 flyboyjes: Jessie?

22:51:08 jacksgal: random quote

22:51:10 jacksgal: sorry, hehe

22:51:40 jacksgal: gah! I'm coming up empty. Do they have to be quotes?

22:51:46 flyboyjes: no, that was just the first thing that popped into my mind.

22:51:49 jacksgal: ah.

22:51:58 flyboyjes: we could just use excuses for when we want to see each other…

22:52:04 jacksgal: meaning?

22:52:18 flyboyjes: well, if I wanted to see you, I could radio you, saying, "Lieutenant, Dr. McKay would like to see both of us at his lab in an hour."

22:52:25 jacksgal: …and then I would meet you at Rodney's lab in an hour:D

22:52:29 flyboyjes: there ya go: )

22:52:36 flyboyjes: Lieutenant, I'd like to, uhh…

22:52:45 flyboyjes: debrief you on the plot of the book "War and Peace" at your quarters.

22:52:49 jacksgal: hehe. when?

22:52:53 flyboyjes: right now

22:52:58 jacksgal: well, gimme a minute before you get here

22:53:03 flyboyjes: why?

22:53:08 jacksgal: b/c I'm not decent!

22:53:10 flyboyjes:D

22:53:15 jacksgal:P you're hopeless

22:53:17 flyboyjes:D:D

22:53:25 jacksgal: and what will we do?

22:53:28 flyboyjes: I dunno

22:53:39 flyboyjes: aren't you the one who has all those "contraband" dvd's?

22:53:43 jacksgal: absolutely

22:53:51 flyboyjes: hmm… got any James Bond?

22:53:59 jacksgal:shakes head: I let Michael borrow them

22:54:07 flyboyjes:sigh: a chick flick then, I suppose…

22:54:13 jacksgal: ooh!

22:54:16 flyboyjes: what?

22:54:22 jacksgal: Mary Heightmeyer just let me borrow one of her favorite romantic comedies

22:54:25 jacksgal: "Never Been Kissed"

22:54:30 flyboyjes: is it any good?

22:54:36 jacksgal: dunno. I haven't had time to watch it yet

22:54:43 flyboyjes: oh! Is that that one with Drew Barrymore?

22:54:48 jacksgal: yeah. It's one I've been wanting to see. :D

22:54:56 flyboyjes: sounds good. I'll be there in five

22:55:01 jacksgal: awesome possum

22:55:04 jacksgal: see you then

22:55:06 flyboyjes: alright

22:55:09 flyboyjes: and by the way…

22:55:15 jacksgal: yes?

22:55:21 flyboyjes: you don't have to be decent. : )

**22:55:22 _flyboyjes_ has signed off**

22:55:26 jacksgal: why you little!

**22:55:27 _flyboyjes_ is no longer on the server**

22:55:30 jacksgal: well fine then :P

**22:55:33 _jacksgal_ has signed off**

Evie pushed her swivel chair away from the desk and hopped up, quickly trying to find her shorts. She retrieved the beloved moose garment that was hanging off the edge of her bed and slipped it on. She had just located the DVD when she heard a timid knock on her door. "We don't want anymore busybodies, well-wishers, or distant relations," she called softly, approaching the door.

She heard a muffled chuckle, and then Sheppard's voice. "What about very old friends?"

Evie waved her hand in front of the sensor. "Well, technically, I've only known you for three years now, so that wouldn't be correct." She grinned as he stepped inside. "Nobody saw you?" she asked as the door close behind him.

He shook his head. "We're in the clear for now," he said, gently kissing her.

"Good." She smiled and gestured for him to be seated on the bed. She had set her laptop on her bedside table and angled it so that the screen could be seen from the bed. She popped the DVD into the disk drive and waited for the program's menu to become available.

"So this is Cuddles?" he asked, picking up a ragged-looking, pink teddy bear. It had patches of fur missing and its right arm appeared to have been reattached.

Evie turned around to see him holding the beloved stuffed animal. "Yeah. She's been well-loved as you can tell."

Sheppard nodded and set the animal in her swivel chair. Then he lied down on her bed, leaving room for her, and propped his head up on his head. "You don't have a problem with me and you on the bed, do you?"

Clicking a few buttons, Evie turned around and gave him an innocent face. "Why, Colonel, whatever do you mean?" He chuckled and she grinned. "I think we can allow that, because I _know_ you'd never try anything…"

"How d'you figure?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because," she said, starting the movie and walking over to the bed, "you know that I would shoot you if did."

"Yes, ma'am. No seducing. Got it." He grinned as she shook her head and lied down beside him.

Sheppard slowly counted in his head, waiting an appropriate minute before sliding his arm around her waist. Evie shifted slightly and brought her hand to rest on his. Grinning, he moved forward, spooning his body against hers.

Evie automatically stiffened at the close contact, but then relaxed and leaned her head back against his chest. "Mmm," Evie sighed, slipping her fingers inbetween his, "I didn't take you for the kind of guy who liked to snuggle."

"You're just so beautiful I can't keep my hands off you," he teased, lightly kissing her neck. Evie shivered slightly as his lips tickled her skin. "Keep in mind that I _do_ want to actually finish this movie," she warned in a joking manner.

"Of course," he murmured, continuing to kiss her soft skin. If it was up to him, the movie would be quickly forgotten. Evie sighed contentedly and reached up to pull her hair away from her neck, allowing his lips to roam further. When she left his hand unattended on her waist, he began to slide it slowly down to rest on her hip, fingers exploring lightly.

"John Sheppard," she reprimanded, grabbing his hand and yanking it back to rest on her waist. "I sleep with my nine mil under my pillow and I won't hesitate to shoot you if you try that again." She was glad he couldn't see the amused smile on her face. Sheppard sighed. "This is acceptable," she said, replacing his hand on her waist. Then she slid it down to her hip. "This is not." She returned his hand to her waist. "Got it?"

Sheppard smirked. "Can you run that by me one more time?" Evie rolled her eyes and lightly elbowed him.

Sleepy Evie did not, however, finish the movie. She fell asleep about twenty minutes before it ended, despite a valiant effort to keep her eyes open. '_Oh, well,'_ Sheppard thought to himself when he heard her breathing even out and felt her arm slide limply off his. '_It can be an excuse for another rendezvous.'_ He sighed as he lightly ran his fingers up her arm; he wanted her so badly. But he didn't want her to be just another lay. If only the circumstances had been different... Heck, he wanted her badly enough maybe he'd just retire early and make her his. But…he knew she wouldn't want things that way. That's why their relationship was the way it was.

When the credits began rolling, Sheppard got off the bed, careful not to disturb her. Grabbing the pink bear, he placed it in her arms, Evie subconsciously clutching the animal to her chest. He smiled and gently kissed her cheek. "Sweet dreams," he whispered, turning off her computer and quietly leaving.

When Sheppard reached his own room, it didn't take long for more feelings of longing to assault him. '_Damn the rules!'_ he cursed silently, kicking the edge of his desk. '_And damn regulations!'_ It just wasn't fair. With a scowl, he furiously swept his arms across his desk, sending the pens, books, and empty coffee cup flying. Then he grabbed the one remaining folder and flung it against the wall, spilling the file's contents everywhere; papers slowly fluttered to the ground. He sank onto his bed, running a hand over his tired face. Sheppard kicked off his shoes and lay back, drawing the pillow to his chest rather than resting his head on it. Then he commanded the lights off, deciding not to bother with undressing.

As he lay there in the dark, he sighed heavily, the pillow in his arms a poor substitute for her warm body. Not that he was generally a fan of always following the rules, but having a relationship with Evie would get them both kicked out of the Air Force quicker than you could say "I love you." And neither of them would stand for that. Sheppard released the pillow and slammed his fist onto the mattress, the unspoken laments of "if only, if only…" echoing in his head. He lay in his bed for a good half hour before he finally fell into a fitful sleep.


	8. Broken Bones Don't Hurt as Much as

_**Chapter Eight - Broken Bones Don't Hurt as Much as Broken Hearts**_

_"You were all the things I thought I knew, and I thought we could be. You were everything, everything that I wanted. We were meant to be, supposed to be, but we lost it. And all of our memories so close to me just fade away. All this time you were pretending. So much for my happy ending." - Avril Lavigne, "My Happy Ending" _

Deciding to take a walk before retiring to her quarters, Evie let her feet lead her through the halls of Atlantis. She paused, however, when she saw Sheppard standing alone, looking over the edge of the balcony. He had a cup of coffee in his hand and seemed to be fascinated with the sea. "Mind if I join you?" she asked softly, walking out onto the balcony.

"Be my guest," Sheppard replied, recognizing her voice and continuing to watch the reflection of the stars on the choppy surface of the ocean. "I was kind of hoping you might," he commented as she came up beside him, folding her arms and resting them on the railing.

"Why? So we can have yet another sexless tryst?" she teased.

"Well, you know," he said with an easy grin, "it doesn't _have_ to be that way…"

She playfully whacked the back of his head. "No," she turned him down. Again. "I'm for hubby and hubby alone."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. He set his coffee cup on the railing and turned to her. "But I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I just stole a kiss or two, would he?" he asked, gently cupping her face in his hands.

Glancing around to make sure no one was watching them, Evie smiled. "I think that would be permissible." Sheppard gently nuzzled his nose against hers for several seconds, something he knew she loved, before pressing his lips to hers. Evie's eyes fluttered shut and she slowly brought a hand up to his face. He was taking things slower this time and as he gently took control of the kiss, Evie melted into his arms.

When he pulled away a minute later, Evie muttered, "I hate it when you do that."

"Why?"

"Because it makes me feel like throwing rules and regulations out the window," she sighed.

Sheppard grinned. "I hoped it might." Again making sure that no one was watching them, he reached into his pocket and retrieved a small something before getting down on one knee.

"John, don't…" Evie breathed, bringing a hand to her mouth. She knew what he was intending before his knee ever touched the ground.

Sheppard presented her with a gold ring, the small diamond scintillating in the starlight. "Marry me, Evie?" he asked, his hopeful jade eyes meeting her stormy hazel ones.

"John, get up," Evie whispered, fearful that someone would see him proposing.

"Not until you give me an answer," he murmured, never taking his eyes off hers.

"John, I--we can't. You _know_ we can't!" She bit her lip and looked down. She wanted to say yes so badly, but knew she couldn't.

"Evie, I want you. Hell, I _need_ you." He took her hand in his. "Please?"

She pulled him to his feet. "John, we _can't_. If anyone found out--"

"So we'll keep it a secret," Sheppard said, desperately praying that she would have him. If she refused, he wouldn't know what to do with himself.

Evie chewed her lip, the tears lurking just behind her eyes. "John, I don't think I can live like that…"

"Evie if you won't have me, I don't know what I'll do," Sheppard said, nervously squeezing her hand. "I know this is kinda fast, but I can't live without you. And I know that sounds cheesy, but I mean it. When you were in the infirmary two months ago, I realized how much I loved you." Evie was blinking furiously, trying her best to keep the tears at bay. "I don't care if we have to keep it secret, Evie, I just have to have you in my life. And at the risk of begging, I'll say it again, 'Please?'"

After a moment's agonizing pause, Evie shook her head slowly before the tears started trickling down her cheeks. "John, I can't, I--" The pain in his eyes tore her apart. "I'm so sorry!" she sobbed before taking off. Tears blurring her vision as she ran down the hall, she heard his cry of "Dammit!" and the sound of his coffee cup crashing to the floor. Her hand over her mouth, she tried to stifle her sobs until she got to her quarters. Once inside, she flung herself onto her bed, her tears soaking the pillow. Sobs racked her body for a long time until she had finally cried herself to sleep.

XXXXXX

The next day, Evie didn't see Sheppard until late that night. He and his team had returned from a routine mission and she had found him in the almost empty mess hall, getting himself a cup of coffee. Taking a deep breath, she slowly walked over to stand a few feet away from him. "Evening, Colonel," she said softly.

"Lieutenant." Sheppard acknowledged her tersely but didn't glance up.

"Did the mission go well?" she asked, trying to start up a conversation.

"What the hell is that?" he asked, scrutinizing her.

"What is what?" She looked up at him, confused.

"'Did the mission go well?'" he mimicked. Sheppard shook his head in disbelief and shot her a wry smile. "Don't even." He returned his attention to his coffee.

"Don't even what?" Evie asked, walking over to stand next to him.

"Don't pretend that everything is just fine between us," he snapped, obviously angry.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" she asked, incredulous.

"You led me on, Evie," he charged.

Immediately growing defensive, Evie countered, "I did not!"

"The hell you didn't!" he shot back. "All the little arranged meetings, chatting late at night, the physical contact. And then, all of a sudden, you have an attack of conscience or something and decide that I'm not worth the risk."

"Oh, so it's all my fault?" she retorted, raising her volume to match his.

"You can't yank me back and forth like that! I'm not a yo-yo, dammit!" he yelled.

"Oh, and you think this is easy for me?" Evie cried, bristling. "Don't you think I want it just as badly as you do?"

"Obviously not or you wouldn't have been so afraid to take a chance!"

"You're unbelievable."

"_You're_ unbelievable!" he shouted. "You're the one who's been playing me!"

Evie dropped the level of her voice slightly, attempting to keep her tears at bay. "I wasn't playing you, John, I--"

"Lieutenant!" Sheppard barked. "You are to address me as 'Colonel' or 'Sir.' Are we clear?"

Evie bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling. "Yes, sir," she answered quietly, sucking in quick breaths of air so as not to start sobbing. "Please, I jus--"

"Dismissed," he said with a cold stare.

Evie nodded and practically fled from the room, quickly making her way to her quarters. If the Lantean door would have allowed, she'd have slammed it. She grabbed the stereo remote off her desk and angrily hit the buttons with her thumb. A dark electric guitar melody began, the loud strains assaulting her ears. "Now I will tell you what I've done for you. Fifty thousand tears I've cried. Screaming, deceiving, and bleeding for you…" She threw herself onto her bed and furiously punched the pillow with her fist. Evie had always been one to let her anger and sadness steep, and so allowed the song to fuel her emotions.

As she lay there, anger simmering and tears trickling, her mind wandered back to the last time she had felt this bad, this hurt. It had been nine years ago, when her younger brother David had been killed in a school shooting. He had been one of seven students slain their senior year. David had been deaf since birth and he, along with six of his deaf classmates, had been murdered by a disturbed and prejudiced teen.

Evie's hand strayed to her chest as the memory of getting the phone call from her mother replayed in her mind. She began slowly fingering the faint, two-inch scar above her breast. David and Evie had been incredibly close, and the news of his death had torn her apart. So, in a desperate effort to escape the emotional pain, Evie had taken a razor blade one night and cut until she could see blood. She had continued this for three weeks before finally coming to her senses and stopping her harmful actions.

While still rubbing the scar, Evie's other hand slid to her pants pocket. She slowly pulled out her Swiss army knife. Now it was more recent memories that played in her head. _John telling her that he loved her..._ She slowly opened the blade. _John proposing…_ She ran her thumb lightly over the sharp edge. _Her refusing…_ She gently tugged down the collar of her shirt. _Her attempting to reconcile…_ She let the blade trace along her bared skin. _John spurning her…_ She closed her eyes.

No. This wasn't right… It wasn't worth it. She wouldn't go down this road again… With a soft cry of frustration, Evie hurled the knife, embedding the point in her door. She changed her music and went to take a shower.

* * *

Song: "Going Under" by Evanescence 


	9. teh pilot machoness

"_Seems like just yesterday you were a part of me. I used to stand so tall. I used to be so strong. Your arms around me tight. Everything, it felt so right. Unbreakable, like nothing could go wrong. Now I can't breathe. No, I can't sleep. I'm barely hanging on. Here I am once again. I'm torn into pieces. Can't deny it, can't pretend. Just thought you were the one. Broken up deep inside. But you won't get to see the tears I cry behind these hazel eyes." - Kelly Clarkson, "Behind These Hazel Eyes" _

"Good morning, Evie," Summer greeted her friend as Evie joined her and Michael for breakfast in the mess hall.

"Hmph," Evie snorted, drowning her Fruit Loops with her cup of milk.

"What's the matter?" Summer asked. "You just tired?"

"Yeah," Evie lied, staring mournfully at a spoonful of the colored cereal. "Tired…"

"Well, if you didn't stay up so late talking to a certain someone…" Summer admonished with a grin.

Evie's jaw tightened at the mention of Sheppard. Just so long as he didn't come anywhere near her, she'd be fine. When she saw Michael suppressing a grin, she quickly snapped at Summer, "Wait, _he_ knows?"

"She didn't tell me anything," Michael conceded. "But I've known you for a while now, Evie. I can tell when you have the hots for someone." Evie rolled her eyes.

"Speaking of a certain someone…" Summer whispered when she noticed Sheppard carrying his breakfast tray and searching for an empty table. "Morning, Colonel."

"Good morning, Captain," he said, not bothering to spare a greeting for Evie. And Evie, childishly, refused to even acknowledge him.

"All the tables are pretty full," Summer observed. "Sit with us?" She smiled when his eyes fell upon the only empty seat, the chair beside Evie.

'_Don't you **dare**,'_ Evie thought to herself.

"Thank you," Sheppard said, setting his tray on the table and parking himself in the vacant seat.

'_Where's my nine mil when I need it?'_ Evie mused, her blood beginning to boil. After a few minutes of small talk -- and Sheppard, of course, ignoring her -- Evie couldn't take it any longer. She stood to her feet and grabbed her tray. "I think I'm going to work out before we get going. I'll see you two at 0930," she said, giving her comrades a forced smile and then leaving the mess hall.

Michael cocked his head to the side as he watched her go. "Did Evie seem a little odd to either of you?"

Sheppard shrugged and continued eating his Lucky Charms.

"She probably just stayed up too late," Summer decided.

"Hmm. I suppose." Michael looked at his watch. "Ooh. I was supposed to talk to Zelenka before we go off-world. I'll meet you in the Control Room, babe," he said, gently kissing Summer before leaving.

After a pause, Summer said, "You didn't do anything to make her mad, did you, sir?"

Sheppard looked off to the side and appeared to be thinking hard. "I don't think so," he lied, shaking his head. "It's probably just, you know, a woman thing," he said, raising his eyebrows to stress the word "woman."

This explanation seemed to satisfy Summer, and she returned her attention to her oatmeal.

* * *

Rather than heading to the gym as she had stated, Evie went to Elizabeth's office. "Good morning, Dr. Weir," she said, knocking on the open door.

"Morning, Lieutenant," Elizabeth greeted with a smile. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, ma'am," Evie answered, stepping inside. "I was wondering what assignments you had for Major Johnson's team for the next couple of weeks."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, curious as to why the normally spur-of-the-moment Lieutenant would want to know advanced scheduling. "Well," she sighed, typing a few commands into her computer. She listed the addresses of the planets they were due to explore that week.

"And next week?" Evie pressed.

"Routine check-ups for P8F-496 and M3D-438, but on Monday you four will check out M8A-379 with…" She hit a few more keystrokes. "…Colonel Sheppard's team."

Evie tried not to show her disappointment. "Thank you, Doctor."

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, ma'am. I need to be in the Control Room soon, anyway," Evie said, turning to leave.

"Good luck, Lieutenant," Elizabeth called.

"Thank you, ma'am."

XXXXXX

Avoiding each other wasn't so hard for the first week, but asking Elizabeth to replace one of the teams for the M8A-379 mission would not have been a good idea; it would arouse too much suspicion. The Ancient database stated that the inhabitants, the Shim-ka, were an extremely short, highly evolved, but very aggressive race. Judging by the technology the database claimed the natives possessed, forming an alliance was a high priority for the mission. Evie and Sheppard would have to put aside their feelings for the time being.

When the teams stepped through the Gate Monday morning, they found themselves to be in a clearing, with some sort of religious circle of stones around the Stargate. They heard a rustling from the bushes bordering the clearing, and then they were suddenly surrounded by short little men, aiming powerful guns at them.

"Iksha! Preema!" cried one of the men, waving his weapon at Johnson, the closest Atlantean to them.

"We mean you no harm," Johnson said, slowly lowering his weapon.

"Heerak!" the little one cried, priming his weapon. Turning to the others, he ordered, "Kilaki, yoki rea!" The band of natives fired their weapons at the Atlanteans, who, stunned by the powerful blasts, quickly fell unconscious to the ground.

XXXXXX

When the teams came to, they found themselves in a small room. Their hands were tied behind their backs, and their weapons and vests had been removed. Forgetting for a moment that she wasn't speaking to him, Evie leaned over and whispered to Sheppard, "Brings back memories, doesn't it?" Sheppard grinned slightly in response.

Suddenly, they heard a voice from outside the door, presumably a guard. "Yallah! Bapi nushoo!" There was the sound of the door being unbolted, and then one of the diminutive men entered the room.

He was dressed in finely crafted clothes and stood at about 3'4". His round little head was bald, and he had piercing blue eyes. "Jeki," he said, as if addressing them, "ipiya tuvora?"

All heads slowly turned to Michael, who rolled his eyes. "My name is Michael," he began, going with basics. "We came in peace."

"Ah," the little man said. "You speak the language of the Ancestors."

Michael sighed in relief. Playing translator was only fun if you knew the language. "Yes," he said, nodding. "And I think there's been some sort of misunderstanding. We wouldn't have harmed anyone."

"The Shim-ka have many enemies," the man said untrustingly. "When we saw your weapons, we took action."

"We're merely explorers," Sheppard interjected. "And you can't be too careful when trekking across strange planets."

The man turned to Sheppard. "What is your name? And your quest?" he asked.

Sheppard grinned; he couldn't resist. "I am Sir Lancelot of Camelot. I seek the Holy Grail." There was some muffled snickering from the other Atlanteans.

"You seek the what?" the man asked, eyeing Sheppard suspiciously.

"Nothing. Never mind," Sheppard said, shaking his head.

"I do not appreciate insolence, Lancelot," the man said with a glare. "I want to know what you are doing here."

"Like I said, we're exploring," Sheppard explained. "We heard from some friends that you guys might have some technology we'd be interested in."

"Yes. Our technology is far superior to yours," he sniffed. "As is evidenced by your primitive weapons."

"Which is why," Johnson interposed, "we seek to form an alliance with you."

The man snorted. "We shall see." With that, he left the room.

After nearly an hour, the little man returned. "The Sho'a, our council, has decided that we will hear what you have to offer us. If we find you to be trustworthy, and worth our effort, we will consider an alliance."

And so, for the next several hours, the teams tried to convince the Sho'a that Atlantis had much to offer in trade for Shim-ka technology. Johnson's team informed them of the medicinal knowledge that Atlantis possessed, which was superior to that of the Shim-ka, while Sheppard's team played the military angle. By late afternoon, an agreement was reached: a vast number of advanced weapons in exchange for medical aid and information. The two races would also be allies in times of war.

"There is one more thing before you go," the man, called Nek'aa, said. "Which of you are pilots?" Sheppard, Summer, and Evie raised their hands.

"Excellent," Nek'aa said with a grin. "We would like to show you our ships. In time of war, it would be to our advantage if our allies had some knowledge of how to fly them. Would you three please come with me?"

As they walked, Evie accidentally bumped into Sheppard. "Watch where you're going," he snarled, moving away from her.

"_You_ watch where _you're_ going!" she shot back. There were mutual glares, but neither said anything further.

Nek'aa led them to a massive hangar and showed them the thousands of small one-pilot ships that they possessed. "To test your skills, we have prepared our kree-sha, ah…flight simulators, for you." A trio of Shim-ka soldiers came and took the three Atlantean pilots to the impressive glider replicas. The soldiers gave their guests the simple instructions on how to maneuver the crafts, then they manned the controls on the high-tech computers, creating waves of enemy fighter pilots for the humans to fight.

The high advancement of technology made the gliders easy to operate. They were a little bit hard to steer at times due to the different controls, but the Atlanteans were managing. All the gliders were connected and, in place of a windshield, had a screen that displayed the simulated battle. The first wave came swiftly, but the Atlanteans were able to shoot them all down after a short fight.

For the second wave, the Shim-ka cut off radio communication between the gliders, testing the Atlanteans' skill as single units. Halfway through the round, Evie's glider accidentally clipped Sheppard's, causing his simulator to jerk on its suspension for a few moments. "Sorry," she muttered, although she knew that he couldn't hear her.

"Oh, I _know_ you didn't, bitch," Sheppard growled. With a few quick maneuvers, he pulled behind her and fired upon her ship. "Take that!" he yelled childishly.

"What the heck!" Evie cried as her simulator rocked wildly. Suddenly the screen flashed bright red. "Hewa taqui," an obnoxious computer voice began repeating over and over. After a moment, one of the soldiers turned on a translation device and the voice began droning, "Simulation unsuccessful." "Ya think?" Evie muttered angrily. She tried to open the door, but the lock wouldn't disengage until the wave was over. This only gave her more time to fume.

"Simulation complete." This time the voice came through on all three Atlanteans' headsets. Evie quickly yanked open the door, hopping out and storming over to Sheppard's simulator. Sheppard got out and began walking over to her, swaggering slightly. "What the heck was that!" she cried angrily, unaware that Summer was timidly watching the exchange.

"Terribly sorry, sweetheart," he said condescendingly. "But, in all fairness, you _did_ start it."

"The heck I did! I bumped into you by accident!" Evie bit her tongue to keep from saying something that might get her court-martialed.

Sheppard didn't seem to care. "Oh, well. No hard feelings, babe," he said, slapping her rear.

That sent Evie over the edge. She drew back her fist and socked him one. Sheppard yelped in pain and clutched his face, muttering expletives. "Don't you ever touch me again!" Evie threatened, shaking out her now-injured hand. After recovering for a moment, Sheppard glared back up at Evie, his own fists tightening.

Sensing that things were going to go from really, really bad to worse, Summer quickly crossed to Evie. "Intervention!" she called, grabbing Evie's arm and beginning to drag the other woman out of the hangar. "Come on, Evie!" With a furious glare to the man she had once considered marrying, Evie allowed herself to be led away.

XXXXXX

The three Atlantean pilots returned home after a few more hours of proving to the Shim-ka that they were capable of flying the gliders. Elizabeth was in the Control Room to greet the travelers. "Major Johnson tells me that this mission was a success," she said smiling.

"Yes, ma'am," Sheppard replied, keeping his head down.

"I take it that you proved your skill as pilots?" she asked. When Sheppard nodded, Elizabeth could see what was amiss. "Good Lord, John, what happened to your eye?"

Now that she had announced his injury to the entire room, Sheppard reluctantly raised his head. He had the fine beginnings to a very nasty black eye.

"He ran into a door," Evie answered simply.

"You _ran into a door_?" Elizabeth asked with amused skepticism. Sheppard nodded lamely. "Well, I suggest you get Carson to take a look at it."

"I'll be fine," he waved her off.

"Alright," she shrugged. "It's your call. Well, good work. You three are free to go."

Sheppard, Evie, and Summer quickly walked into the armory, depositing their weapons. Evie's hand accidentally brushed Sheppard's as she put away her P-90. He jerked his hand away and glared at her, his eyes burning with hatred, then stalked out of the room.


	10. In Which Sense is Knocked into

**Author's Note:** So sorry that this took so long to post, but was being a butt and I couldn't get it to work. And in answer to a few comments I've received about Evie's(and Summer's) commitment to abstinence, it is one of my own strong beliefs, and I wouldn't feel right writing one of my OC's behaving contrarily. Just in case anyone else was wondering...

* * *

**Chapter Ten - In Which Sense is Knocked Into our Protagonists **

"_And I'm sorry that I'm gettin' on your case, but true friends, they stab you in the face. You were meant to live large. Come on, take charge. Let's go light the world up. Let's not wait until the end to be the things we wish we'd been. You were meant to live life. Come on, let's fly. You're a super trouper spotlight. We're gonna jump on the count of three. Here it comes now. One, two, three, jump!" - Superchick, "Super Trouper" _

It was a slow Saturday in Atlantis; only two teams were still off-world. This rare phenomenon wasn't intentional, the schedules had just worked out that way. The members of Major Johnson's team had slowly dispersed to "do their own thing" after lunch. Johnson was sparring with Ronon in the gym. Michael was…being Michael and going over his hundreds of culture notes for fun. Evie and Summer were sitting in the mess hall, being bored. They were currently doing their "Jungle Book" routine.

"'What do you wanna do?'" Summer asked.

"'I dunno. What do you wanna do?'" Evie responded.

"'I dunno. What do you wanna do?'"

"'I dun-- Now don't start _that_ again.'" Summer laughed and Evie smiled half-heartedly; she wasn't in much of a mood for doing anything, truth be told.

"Ooh! I think Colonel Sheppard's free this afternoon if we wanted to play paintball," Summer suggested.

Evie snorted. "How about not?" she said, glaring at her friend.

"Oh. Oops." She thought for a minute. "We could always just play cards or something."

"Look, maybe I don't want to do _anything_. Maybe I just want to be left alone. Ooh, what a novel concept," Evie said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"What _happened_ with you two?" Summer asked, frowning at her friend.

"Nothing," Evie lied.

"Socking a superior officer isn't 'nothing,'" Summer said with a knowing look. "You've been as gloomy as Eeyore and as polite as Oscar the Grouch for nearly two weeks, and he only, uhh…" She tried to think of a nice way to phrase this. "_Harassed_ you five days ago. Now what happened?" Evie looked away, crossing her arms and refusing to answer. "Evie…" Summer said in a warning tone.

"I was just PMS-ing." Evie hoped this excuse would pass.

"Not for two weeks. Don't lie to me, girl."

"I don't want to talk about it, okay?" Evie snapped.

"What did he do?" Suddenly, Summer's eyes widened. "Oh, gosh. He didn't try to seduce you, did he?"

"No!" Evie said, shaking her head. "He respects me more than that. Or at least he did…"

"Then what?" Summer cried, exasperated. Evie stubbornly looked away again. "Evangeline Marie!"

"We had a fight, okay?" Evie confessed at last. "That's why we were so mad at each other to begin with on M8A-379."

"Well, that's not so bad. I mean, now you get to kiss and make up," Summer said with a grin. Evie looked at her friend and frowned. "…what?"

"Nothing. I mean, he had a reason to be mad at me earlier…" Evie trailed off and looked down.

"What do you mean?" Summer asked. "What did you do?"

"Well…" Evie bit her lip, she wasn't sure how her friend would take the news.

"Evie! Tell me!" Summer was way beyond intrigued now.

"Fine. But not here. My quarters," Evie said, grabbing her friend's hand and whisking her off down the hall.

Once both women were inside Evie's room and the door was shut, Evie spilled. "John asked me to marry him."

Summer squealed. "Well, it's about time! Way to go!" she congratulated, bouncing up and down.

"Summer, I said 'no,'" Evie quickly corrected, wringing her hands nervously.

"You _what?_" Summer frowned.

"Well, what was I supposed to say!" Evie cried, kicking a pair of pajama pants across the floor.

"'Yes!' is what you should have said!"

"But, Summer, we _can't_!" Evie countered, flopping down onto her bed.

"But you _love_ him, you dork!" Summer shot back, joining her friend on the bed.

"Don't you think I know that?" Evie replied, starting to cry.

Summer sighed and quieted her voice. "I'm sorry, Evie, I just…" She rubbed her friend's back as Evie sobbed into her pillow. "I just don't want you to miss your prince. And it's very clear to me that John Sheppard is obviously him."

"H-he says that w-we could…keep it a s-s-secret," Evie sobbed.

"See? There ya go," Summer soothed. "I know I won't tell anybody."

"Not even Michael?" Evie sniffled.

"Well… maybe Michael," Summer answered. "But only if the subject comes up." She paused, gently stroking Evie's hair. "Evie?"

"Hmm?" Evie's sobs had subsided, but her face remained buried in her pillow.

"Look at me, Roo." Evie smiled slightly at the fond nickname and turned her head toward her friend. "Do you really love him?" Summer asked softly. Evie slowly nodded her head. "Then what are you waiting for?"

Evie took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "You really think I should?" Summer nodded emphatically. "But I don't even know if he still wants me," Evie lamented, wiping her tear-stained cheeks. "I mean, surely you can see the way we've been treating each other lately."

Summer nodded. "You two need anger management classes with just a smidgen of couples' therapy," she advised jokingly. Evie just rolled her eyes. "Don't you worry. I'll take care of him. You just come up with some clever 'I still love you, please take me back' line, alright?" Summer hopped off the bed and began heading for the door.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, get back here!" Evie called after her friend.

"I'm going to knock some sense into the man," Summer said with an air of determination.

"Summer, don't," Evie said, grabbing the other woman's arm.

"Lieutenant," Summer said with a faux stern tone. "I'm ordering you to stay here while I talk to the Colonel."

Evie glared at her friend as she fought to keep from smiling. "You can't pull rank on _me_!" she protested.

"Watch me!" Summer shot back, commanding Evie's door open with her mind. "With any luck," she said, glancing back," you'll be engaged before the day's over." With a grin, she left.

XXXXXX

"You, Colonel, are a hard man to track down," Summer said, approaching Sheppard in Rodney's lab.

"Sorry," he apologized. "People have been yanking me all over the place, some of them _for no good reason_," he said, glaring at Rodney.

"Well, excuse me for thinking you might find this interesting," Rodney said, crossing his arms.

Sheppard rolled his eyes and sighed. "What can I do for you, Captain?" he asked with a smile.

Looking at the other occupants of the room, Summer asked, "Do you think we could talk somewhere private?"

'_Oh, crap,'_ Sheppard thought to himself. '_Busted.'_ "Sure. How about the balcony?" he said, gesturing for her to lead the way. Summer nodded and they walked the short distance from the lab to the balcony. "So…" he began, resting his elbow on the railing. "I take it I'm in trouble?"

"If you don't attempt to fix the problem, then yes," Summer said, nodding, then added a quick "Sir."

"What did she tell you?" he asked, stiffening. "That I acted like an absolute son of a bitch while she was the innocent little princess?"

"Not at all," Summer said, noting that he was growing defensive. "Just that neither one of you takes rejection very well."

"That's the understatement of the year," Sheppard muttered. "So are you just the intervening third party who doesn't want to see us break up, or did Evie actually send you?"

"Well, it was my idea to come knock some sense into you, sir." Sheppard snorted. "But she does still love you."

"And what does she want me to do with this information?" he asked, looking out over the ocean.

"She doesn't want things to be like this between you two. But what you do…that's up to you," Summer answered.

A soft "hmph" was his only reply.

After a pause, Summer requested, "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Oh, now I'm gonna get it." He sighed and turned to face her. "Go ahead."

"Don't be stupid," she advised bluntly. "You two are made for each other." Sheppard rolled his eyes and turned to watch the ocean once more. Ignoring Summer, he let his thoughts wander and found himself remembering the first time he realized that Evie wasn't just another woman to him…

_"Happy Valentine's Day, Rodney," Sheppard teased as they walked to the jumper bay. _

_"You mean 'Happy Single Awareness Day'?" Rodney asked with a wry smile. _

_"Speak for yourself, stud," Sheppard answered, grinning. _

_Rodney opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off by Teyla calling as she approached them, "Colonel Sheppard, Dr. McKay, I think there is something you should see." _

_Entering the jumper bay, they followed her over to Jumper One, which they were to take off-world in twenty minutes. "When Ronon and I arrived here, we noticed the writing. Do either of you have any idea for whom the message is intended?" _

_Sheppard slowly grinned as he read the note written in white shoe polish on the windshield of the jumper. _"Roses are red, violets are blue, some poems rhyme, but this one doesn't. Hehe! Happy Valentine's Day, Todd! Love, Vixie."

_"Vixie…" Rodney said, musing the message over in his head. "Surely that's not from E--" _

_Sheppard kicked his friend's ankle. "No idea, Teyla," he lied, slowly shaking his head. "No idea." _

_XXXXXX_

_Rather than hiring a few staff members to run around doing "singing telegrams", Elizabeth had allowed for love songs to be played over the Atlantis speakers and dedicated to the appropriate persons. But she had made it clear that it was only for this one special day. When Zelenka, who was serving as DJ during the lunch hour, stepped out for a cup of coffee, Sheppard left a sticky note for the scientist, detailing his request. _

_Returning with a fresh cup of joe, Zelenka noticed the note. He smiled as he read it, then searched for the desired song. An upbeat tune began playing as he announced, "Alright, this song is requested for Vixie from Todd. Vixie, Todd says you are the girl of his dreams. Enjoy." _

_Evie tried to suppress her grin as she sat in the mess hall eating her sandwich. She listened, pleased, as the familiar tune played. _"Well, she's all you'd ever want. She's the kind I'd like to flaunt and take to dinner." _She smiled lightly; judging by the Vixie/Todd comment, Sheppard had obviously gotten her message. Whether he got the "The Fox and the Hound" connotation was another story. Not wanting to give their relationship away, she had selected the names based on the fact that Sheppard had called her "Vixen" on several occasions. _"She's a lady. Whoa-oh-oh. She's a lady. Talking about that little lady. And the lady is mine."

_"And just what do you look so happy about?" Michael asked Evie, swiping a French fry from Summer's plate. _

_"Oh, nothing," Evie said, smiling innocently and taking another bite of her sandwich…_

Realizing that she had lost Sheppard's attention, Summer said, "I guess I'll be going now, sir." She turned to leave and had begun walking down the hall when she heard Sheppard call, "Captain, wait." She turned back around. "Sir?"

"Just a minute." Walking up to the young biologist who was traversing down the hall, he grabbed the clipboard out of Mary Heightmeyer's hands and quickly jotted a note on a blank piece of paper. He tore the sheet off the clipboard and handed it to Summer. "Give this to her for me," he said.

"Yes, sir," Summer promised with a smile. She began walking quickly down to Evie's quarters, but found them empty. "I told you to wait, dodo-head," she muttered as she began searching the city for her friend. She checked Rodney's lab. Not there. She searched the mess hall. No Evie. She even poked her head into Elizabeth's office. Just Elizabeth and Zelenka, the former smirking and the latter blushing. Deciding to check one last place, Summer headed for the Control Room. "There you are!" she cried, finally spotting Evie talking to Lorne. She ran up to her friend. "Evie, I've been loo--"

Evie held up a hand. "Hello? Having a conversation here!" She shook her head. "Some people…" Lorne smirked. "Please continue, Major."

Summer waited impatiently for a few minutes while Lorne and Evie finished talking. As soon as the Major left, Summer grabbed her friend and drug her into the empty hallway.

"You didn't hurt him, did you?" Evie asked teasingly.

"I thought about it," Summer truthfully confessed. "So, I basically just told him that you _do_ love him, and you don't want things to be like this. I'll leave the 'yes, I'll marry you' up to you."

"Well," Evie prodded, "What'd he say!"

"He told me to give this to you," Summer said, handing her friend the folded piece of paper.

"What's it say?" Evie said, snatching it from her friend and unfolding it.

"What, you think I read other people's messages?" Summer asked. Evie raised her eyebrows faintly. Summer sighed. "Okay, I didn't read _this_ one. I promise," she answered as Evie's eyes quickly scanned the paper.

"_Evie, I'm sorry for acting like such a jerk. I know that it's not an excuse for what I did, but I was really hurt. If you can forgive my inexcusable behavior, I'd love you keep you as a friend. Love, John." _

Summer saw Evie's face fall as she finished reading the scrawled words. "What?" Evie didn't answer. "Does he still want you?"

"I don't know," Evie whispered, handing her friend the note, which Summer quickly read.

Summer's brow furrowed. "Well, girl, I don't know what to tell you. I don't even know what I'd do if I were you…" she trailed off.

"You think I should go talk to him?" Evie asked, biting her lip.

Summer nodded vigorously. "Aboluby. You should at least make amends."

Evie hugged Summer tightly. "Thanks, Summer. You're the best."

"You're welcome. Love you, too," Summer replied, releasing her friend. "Now go and fix your mistake."

Evie saluted Summer. "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Song: "She's a Lady" by Tom Jones 


	11. Love Keeps No Record of Wrongs

_"But you know, you know, you know. I wanted, I wanted you to stay. 'Cause I needed, I need to hear you say that I love you. I loved you all along. And I forgive you for being away for far too long. So keep breathing, 'cause I'm not leaving you anymore. Believe it. Hold onto me and never let me go." - Nickelback, "Far Away" _

After finding out from Mary that Sheppard had returned to his quarters, Evie made a beeline for his room. Once there, she knocked timidly on the door. "Who is it?" she heard Sheppard's voice from within.

"Brooks," she answered softly.

"Enter," came his reply.

Evie took a deep breath and then waved her hand in front of the sensor, closing the door behind her once she was inside.

"Can I help you, Lieutenant?" he asked passively.

Evie bit her lip. She prayed he'd forgive her. Only one way to find out. She walked quickly over to him and, gently taking his face in her hands, lovingly kissed him. When she heard the report he had been holding fall to the floor and felt his strong arms around her, relief flooded her.

When he pulled away, gasping, a moment later, Sheppard said, "I thought I was never to touch you again?"

"Well, I should hope there would be _some_ touching after we get married," she teased. "That is, if you still want me," she said, looking down.

Gently cupping her face and forcing her to look at him, Sheppard murmured, "Of course I still want you." Evie smiled at him adoringly. "Damn, Evie, I'm so sorry about the way I acted. I d--"

"I forgive you, John," Evie cut him off, kissing him once more. When she released his lips, she lightly ran her fingers over the skin around his eye, skin that still had a faint purplish tinge. "I'm sorry, too…"

Sheppard walked over to his closet and retrieved one of his shoes. He pulled a rolled up sock from it and then dug around in the sock, drawing out the ring.

"Interesting hiding place," Evie commented.

"Yeah, and I almost got busted," Sheppard said, and proceeded to tell her about his near-fatal mishap…

_"Morning, Rodney," Sheppard said, greeting his colleague sleepily at his quarters. "And to what do I owe this, uhh…pleasant surprise?" _

_"I'm surprised you weren't up already," Rodney commented. "We leave in forty-five minutes." Sheppard just blinked at him. "Right. I need to borrow a pair of shoes," he said, gesturing to his sock-clad feet. "Mine haven't dried out yet." _

_"Well, if you hadn't insulted little Lina, she wouldn't have pushed you into the river," Sheppard reminded. When Rodney just frowned at him, he rubbed a hand over his tired face and gestured for Rodney to enter. "Fine. Just grab a pair. But they'll probably be about a size too big." _

_"I'll live," Rodney replied, selecting a pair from Sheppard's closet. **That** pair. _

_Sheppard's eyes widened. "Uhh, Rodney…yo-you don't want **those** shoes," he said, trying to snatch them from Rodney's hand. _

_"What, are they your lucky pair?" Rodney teased. _

_"No, they're just…really uncomfortable," Sheppard insisted. _

_"I'm sure they'll be fine," Rodney said, sitting on the edge of Sheppard's bed and sliding his right foot into the shoe. Frowning when his foot touched something, he removed his foot and examined the shoe. "Eww." He pulled out the sock and handed it to Sheppard. Sheppard closed his fist tightly around the precious sock. "Well," Rodney said, after he finished tying the second lace, "Thanks." _

_"No problem," Sheppard answered as he watched Rodney leave. Once the door was closed, he breathed a sigh of relief and slipped his hand inside the sock. To his horror, he felt nothing. Worriedly, he turned the sock upside down and shook it over his open hand. Nothing. The ring was still in his shoe! _

_XXXXXX_

_After worrying nearly all day about whether or not Rodney would find the engagement ring, Sheppard was glad when the scientist finally returned the shoes later that night. "Well, you were right," Rodney said, pulling off the shoes. "They **are** uncomfortable." _

_"I told you so," Sheppard said, praying that Rodney hadn't investigated the cause of his discomfort and discovered the ring. _

_"Especially the right one. I think you picked up a rock or something." _

_"Yeah," Sheppard smirked. "A five-hundred dollar rock." _

_"A what?" Rodney asked, handing back the shoes. _

_"Nothing," Sheppard said, shaking his head. "Nothing at all." If Rodney didn't get it, he wasn't going to explain…_

Evie laughed when he finished the tale. "You know, for an astrophysicist, he misses the obvious quite often," she commented.

Sheppard nodded and slid the gold band onto Evie's ring finger. "I know it can't stay there, but I wanted to do that," he said with a short laugh.

Evie nodded and gazed adoringly at the ring for a moment before slowly removing it. She unattached her dog tags and slid the ring onto the military chain, allowing Sheppard to refasten it. She dropped the tags back inside her shirt and didn't attempt to stop the tears that slowly began to fall. "Why did you have to be so wonderful?" she whispered, resting her head against his chest. She inhaled shakily, the full impact of her decision slowly hitting her. Sheppard held her tightly and kissed the top of her head. "You really think we can do this?" she asked after a minute.

"Yes. I love you, Evie. And that's all that matters." He gently wiped away her tears, then kissed her again, this time with more zeal. If Evie hadn't made her conditions clear earlier, she had no doubt that he would have made love to her against the desk right then and there.

**

* * *

Two Weeks Later **

"I assure you, Carson, I'm fine," Evie protested.

"You fell thirteen feet, my dear. I couldn't call myself a good physician if I didn't give you a thorough examination," Carson insisted. Evie sighed. "Now, please hop up onto the table for me so we can get an x-ray." Reluctantly, Evie climbed onto the table and obediently lay down. "You said were having chest pains after you fell, correct?" Carson asked, positioning the lead blanket over her hips.

"Yeah, but that was just because I got the wind knocked out of me," Evie assured him.

"We shall see." He was about to turn the machine on, when he suddenly remembered, "Dog tags?"

"Oh. Right." Evie pulled the chain from around her neck and handed them to him. Carson set them on the table beside him and proceeded to take her x-rays.

When he was finished, Carson removed the heavy cover and helped her off the examination table. "I'll let you know," he said, turning off the machine. When he reached for her dog tags, _this_ time he noticed the sliver of gold between the two metal tags. "Well, this is interesting," he commented, examining the ring. "And is there a gentleman who goes with this lovely ring?" he asked, handing the chain back to Evie.

"Umm…well…I, uhh…" She quickly pulled the chain around her neck, dropping the tags back inside her shirt. "He's umm… Yes?"

"Anybody I know?" Carson asked, obviously amused.

"Maybe…" Evie answered, looking down at her feet.

"Is the reason you're so reluctant because you think I would disapprove?" he asked, standing beside her and leaning his back against the table. Evie nodded, not looking up. "Oh, good Lord!" Carson said after a pause. "Surely not Rodney?"

Evie laughed. "Heavens, no! I mean, I've got nothing against him, but…eww." She shuddered, causing Carson to chuckle.

"Well, I could just guess names," Carson suggested. "But that might take a while."

Evie sighed. "Would this be covered by the whole 'doctor/patient confidentiality' thing?"

"Absolutely."

After having an internal debate, she decided that she could trust Carson. Plus, having someone else who knew would probably be a good idea later on down the road. "John," she said in a barely audible whisper.

"Oh! Dr. Holloway?" Carson asked. "He's a marvelous young man. My congra--"

"Sheppard," she corrected, her voice even quieter than the first time.

Carson was silent for a moment. "Now, Evie," he began. "I don't generally pretend to know anything about military matters, but…isn't that against regulations?"

Evie nodded her head slowly. "Please don't tell anyone," she begged softly.

"Don't worry, my dear," Carson said kindly. "Your secret is safe with me," he promised.

"Thanks, Carson. You're wonderful," she said, lightly kissing his cheek.

XXXXXX

'_Ooh, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood,' _Sheppard thought to himself as he watched Dr. Bethany Croker stroll past him as he made his way to the gym. He was a few minutes early for his "stick fighting"(as he liked to call it) match with Teyla, and stepped through the gym doors in time to watch the present occupants finish their battle. Currently, Evie was sparring with Hans Schwartz, a very handsome young German immigrant who was currently serving as a Sergeant in the US Marine Corps. "Good morning, Lieutenant," he greeted, setting his bag down in the corner. "Sergeant."

"Morning, sir," Evie panted, ducking a blow from Hans and quickly sending one of her own, catching his chin.

"Nice one, Evie," Hans said, shaking it off.

"Thanks." Evie smiled. "Been practicing," she said, taking another swing.

With quick reflexes, Hans grabbed her fist and twisted her arm behind her back, pulling her body against his. "Me, too," he murmured. Sheppard felt a small twinge of jealousy at their close proximity, but quickly pushed it aside.

Realizing that she couldn't use her weight against his, Evie rammed her free elbow into Hans's stomach. When he doubled over, she stomped on his left foot and used the opportunity to spin free of his grasp. Twisting his left arm out to the side, she kicked the back of his knees and managed to throw him down onto the mat. She quickly moved to pin him to the ground, but before she had a chance to put her full weight on him, Hans grabbed her arms and rolled them over so that he was straddling her. He quickly pinned her arms to the mat with a triumphant grin. Evie struggled against him, but his weight held her in place.

Sheppard stiffened at the intimate position and bit his tongue to keep from spouting off something that he might later regret.

"Nice moves, Hans," Evie said, breathing heavily.

Hans grinned down at her. "Thank you, my dear," he teased.

When he hadn't moved after a moment, Evie said, "Okay, don't take this the wrong way, but you're squishing me."

"Oh!" He quickly released her arms and got off her. "Terribly sorry," he said, reaching his hands down to pull her up.

"You're fine," she said, sweeping a few stray hairs away from her face. "So, you want to do this again Thursday?" she asked, walking over to where she had set her water bottle.

"Definitely," he said with a grin.

"And next time, it's gonna be _me_ pinning _you _to the floor," she teased.

"We'll see. Keep up the good work," he said, lightly punching her shoulder.

She nodded and took a gulp from her water bottle as he exited the gym.

"I don't like that guy," Sheppard commented once the gym doors had slid shut.

"And why not?" Evie asked, wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Did you see the way he was looking at you?" he said protectively.

"No, I was kind of concentrating," Evie replied, pulling her radio from her bag and placing it back in her ear.

"He was leering."

Evie snorted. "I think you're just paranoid," she said, swinging her small bag over her shoulder and heading for the door.

Sheppard grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to him. "I don't want you hanging around him," he said almost possessively, his eyes looking her quickly up and down.

Evie yanked her arm out of his grip. "You don't own me, John," she stated defensively. Sheppard raised an eyebrow. "If that's what you think that ring means," she said with a frown, "then maybe you should take it back. You don't get to dictate my life."

"No, but I _can_ say that I don't want you hanging around that…libidinous muscle-head!" he declared, raising his voice.

"Well, fine then!" Evie said, growing louder as well. "I don't want you sparring with Teyla anymore. Especially not when she's wearing those slutty little outfits that she calls 'work-out clothes!'"

"So what am I supposed to tell her? 'Oh, sorry, Teyla, I can't train with you anymore; my fianceé thinks you dress too slutty'?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something. You could have been Mensa, remember?" she shot back wryly, throwing his favorite gloat back in his face.

Sheppard's next retort was curtailed by the sound of the gym door whooshing open. Teyla stepped through the door and greeted them with a smile. "Good morning, Colonel. Lieutenant."

Without returning the salutation, Evie walked out of the gym in a huff.

"Is she alright?" Teyla asked after a pause.

"She'll get over it," Sheppard said, turning to grab his weapons from his bag. "Let's do this."

XXXXXX

It only took Evie until around lunchtime to realize that she had overreacted. And lost her temper…again. She sighed and began searching for Sheppard. After about ten minutes, she located him in Rodney's lab, sitting in a chair, flipping through a report. "What're you reading, Colonel?" she asked casually.

"An incredibly boring mission report," he answered.

Evie nodded. "Oh, Dr. McKay," she said, looking over at Rodney.

"Yes?" he glanced up from his computer.

"Dr. Beckett needs to see you in the infirmary. He's having some issues with the…with their main computer."

Rodney sighed. "I swear, that man cannot do anything by himself." He got up and began heading for the door. "If you two will excuse me." Sheppard acknowledged his leaving with a slight nod, remaining focused on the report in front of him.

After Rodney was gone, Evie sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry that I blew up at you this morning…" she said, absently wringing her hands as she slowly walked over to him. "I have a bad habit of losing my temper."

"Same here," he sighed, turning the chair around to face her and gently taking her hands in his.

"Forgive me, John?" she murmured.

Sheppard just smiled and pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her. "Absolutely," he said and lovingly kissed her.

"You know," she said a minute later as she rested her head against his chest. "We've really gotta stop doing that. Losing our tempers, I mean."

"Oh, but making up is so much fun," he teased, kissing the top of her head.

"Yeah… But I think we need couples' therapy," she joked with a grin.

"How about we just promise to not yell at each other every time we get ticked off?" he proposed.

"Sounds good to me," she answered, kissing him once more.

Their embrace was interrupted, but not stopped, by Rodney's voice as he re-entered the lab. "I ran into Carson in the hall and he said he nev-- Whoa! Okay…come on you two…" They ignored him. "Not in my lab, puh-leeze."

Gently releasing Evie, Sheppard jabbed at Rodney, "Aw, c'mon, McKay, just because _you_ can't get a chick…"

Evie lightly slapped his arm. "Now is that any way to refer to your fianceé ?" she teased.

"His _what?_" Rodney spluttered.

Sheppard dropped his head to his hand for a moment, then looked back up at Evie, blinking at her with a wry smile.

"Oops."

"Well, well," Rodney said, crossing his arms with a smirk. "When did this happen?"

Evie looked back at Sheppard, who merely shrugged. "I finally accepted a couple weeks ago," she answered.

"Well…good for you two. Just don't let anyone catch you," he said, returning to his computer.

"You're the best, Rodney," Evie said, standing up. Then she returned her attention to Sheppard. "Well, if everything's good between us again, I'll go now."

Sheppard nodded and pulled her in for a goodbye kiss.

Rodney turned around to ask Sheppard a question and frowned. "Ugh. You guys…not in front of me!"


	12. Jaton! or Zey are Unclozink!

**Author's Note:** Alrighty, for those of you over 18(like me, lol. not...) I have a, umm, _extended_ version of this chapter over at fosff dot net just in case anyone might want to read it. I'd love to know what you people who read that one think, as it's my first attempt at that ahem side of fanfiction. Anyways, for the more innocent ones, I give you:

**Chapter Twelve - Jaton! or Zey are Unclozink!**

Brigon - BREYE-gon

jaton - zha-TOH(n)

"_Gonna take it slow, babe. Do it my way. Keep your eyes on me. Your reaction to my action is what I want to see. Rhythmic motion, raw emotion infiltrating through. Sweet sensations, hot temptations coming over you." - Jem, "Come on Closer"_

Evie was ripped from an amusing dream involving the Muppets, Johnny Depp, and Colonel Sheppard by someone pounding on her door. She groaned and yanked the pillow over her head. "Go away!" she called. "It's my freakin' day off for crying out loud." When she heard the door whoosh open, she peeked out from under the pillow. She saw Summer approaching the bed. "What part of 'go away' do you not understand?" she mumbled.

"You gotta get up!" Summer said excitedly, sitting on her friend's bed and bouncing up and down. Evie pushed Summer off the edge with her feet. "Don't make me sit on you, Roo," Summer threatened.

Evie let out a loud groan of frustration. "What do you want?" She removed the pillow and blinked sleepily at her friend.

"A bunch of us are going to Venalia for our day off," Summer said, bouncing on the bed again, "and Colonel Sheppard says to tell you he thinks it's as good a place as any to get hitched."

Evie sat bolt upright in bed. "Wait, like seriously?" she asked, now fully awake.

"Yes!" Summer exclaimed. "Now, go get dressed, we're leaving in half an hour."

"Yes, ma'am!" Evie attempted to hop out of bed, but as she was tangled up in her sheets, she fell to the floor. Summer just laughed. "I meant to do that," Evie muttered. She ran over to her closet and grabbed her regulation garments.

"Key words are 'day off,'" Summer said as Evie raced for the bathroom.

"Right." Evie spun a 180 and returned to her closet, searching through the few personal garments that she owned. "You know I have no fashion sense," she sighed. "Come find me something cute."

After sifting through the clothes for a moment, Summer said, "Ugh. Do you have no blouses, woman?"

"Not really," Evie said shaking her head.

"Aha!" Summer grabbed an item off the hanger. "Well this sure is cute," she said, tossing the light blue halter top to Evie. "'Sexy' even." She grinned.

"Just so long as it's not 'slutty'" Evie replied, snagging a pair of jeans and a belt and then heading for the bathroom. "Think I have time for a shower?" she called from behind the closed door.

"Not an Evie shower," Summer said with a chuckle. "A _quick_ one."

"Yes, yes," Evie said, turning on the water.

XXXXXX

After snatching a donut each from the mess hall, Summer and Evie made it to the Control Room. "Morning, Lieutenant. Captain," said Sheppard in greeting. "I almost didn't recognize you ladies in street clothes." He particularly liked Evie's blouse. As Evie wasn't the most buxom of women, the top didn't show as much cleavage as it was designed to, but the garment was still very flattering on her.

"You look very different yourself. I don't think I've ever seen you in jeans," Evie observed, admiring the way his long legs fit into the denim.

"It's a rare phenomenon," he joked. It was then that he noticed the item that Evie was carrying. It was a long, slender, fabric case with a lime green stripe down the middle. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to the object in question.

"Stunt kite," Evie answered with a grin. "It's way fun. You have to tr--"

"Colonel Sheppard." The three of them turned to see Lorne approaching them. "Is this everybody that's going?" he asked, surveying the small group of people which included Rodney, Teyla, Kate and Mary Heightmeyer, and Evan McKenzie, one of the men from Lorne's team.

"We're just waiting on Michael, sir," Summer said with a sigh, looking at her watch.

"Hey, it's our day off. You don't have to 'sir' me, Summer," Lorne offered.

"Alright then, _Marcus_," she said with a smile.

"The fun has arrived!" Michael announced jokingly as he entered the Control Room. "Let's get this party started. Sorry I'm late, babe," Michael said, slipping his arm around his wife's waist.

"Dial it up," Lorne called to the technician.

Once they reached Venalia, the Atlanteans dispersed to enjoy themselves however they desired, with the instructions to return to the Gate at 1800, when it would begin to grow dark.

Sheppard, Rodney, Evie, and Summer formed a posse and traversed to a field where they flew Evie's kite for a little over an hour. Or rather, Rodney, Evie, and Summer flew the kite. Sheppard just crashed it. After eating the sandwiches they had brought, they began searching for a priest. With the aid of several villagers, they were able to locate Brigon, the religious leader of the city.

Brigon was an older gentleman, at least in his seventies. He had short, gray hair and a snowy little beard. Gentle brown eyes shone out from his wrinkled face. Upon hearing Sheppard and Evie's request, he smiled. "Yes, my children, I will help you. Come," he said, gesturing for them to exit the temple. "Let us go to where no one will overhear us." He led them several hundred yards away from the temple, which was already quite a ways off the from the rest of the village. Satisfied that they were quite alone, out of sight and hearing distance, in the grassy area, he began the ceremony.

"John, I want you to hold Evie's hands, please," Brigon instructed. Sheppard turned to his fiancé e and gently took her hands in his, taking a deep breath. Evie tried to give him a reassuring smile, but she was just as nervous as he was. "I will now sing the marriage blessing over you both," Brigon said, then began to croon a hauntingly beautiful song in another tongue. Whether from the decision she was making or the song itself, Evie got goose-bumps all over her skin.

When he finished a moment later, Brigon began the vows. "Evie, will you take John to be your life mate, your one and only, forever unto death, no matter what may come?"

"I will," Evie promised shakily. It sounded different compared to the customary "I do", but Evie didn't care; she would and she did take John Sheppard to be hers forever.

"And, John, will you take Evie to be your life mate, your one and only, forever unto death, no matter what may come?"

"I will," he vowed with a gentle smile to his beloved. His smile eased some of her anxiety and she managed to give him an adoring one in return.

"Very good, then. I now declare you one," he said with a grin. "Jaton!" Evie and Sheppard looked at Brigon quizzically. The man gestured from Sheppard to Evie. "Jaton!"

"Oh!" Sheppard grinned and leaned in to kiss his bride.

Brigon smiled and Rodney and Summer applauded. "Thank you, sir," Sheppard said, shaking Brigon's hand.

"You are quite welcome, my son," Brigon replied warmly with a sweet smile. "I wish you both much happiness."

"Let's hope," Evie said, winking at her new husband. Summer approached Evie and took her hand, leading her several feet away where the two women engaged in a hushed discussion.

"Well, congratulations, Sheppard," Rodney said, giving the Colonel one of his McKay-sign-of-affection shoulder pats.

Sheppard nodded. "Thanks. So, remember, if anyone asks, we're still out flying her kite."

"Yes, yes," Rodney assured him, looking around nervously. "I'll be nearby in case anyone else comes, and when it's time to go, I'll come and get you. Good luck. Have fun."

Sheppard grinned boyishly, and Rodney rolled his eyes. Sheppard turned to see what was keeping his wife. He saw Summer hand Evie the small bag that she had been toting. Evie opened it and grinned when she saw its contents. She glanced over at Sheppard, back to the bag, then looked up at Summer and giggled. Sheppard cocked his head to the side, intrigued. Evie hugged Summer tightly, then returned to Sheppard's side. "What's in the bag, baby?"

Evie looked up at him, her eyes glinting almost - surely it couldn't be! Not coming from chaste little Evie - seductively. "You'll find out soon enough," she murmured.

Sheppard raised an eyebrow and Evie merely grinned in response. "Well," he said, taking her hand and turning to Rodney and Summer, "we will see you two this evening." Their comrades waved as they watched Sheppard and Evie walk toward the inn in which Brigon had said they could stay and…consummate the marriage.

After arguing with Sheppard for a few minutes, the innkeeper agreed that they could have a room for the day if Sheppard would help him chop wood for the coming winter. He gave Evie permission to go upstairs to the room while he took Sheppard outside to begin his payment. She gave her husband a teasing kiss, and then left him hanging, retreating up the stairs with a mischievous grin. Determined to exact vengeance, Sheppard quickly followed the man, intent on finishing his task in as little time as possible.

Inside the comfortable room, Evie had been scrutinizing herself in the mirror for nearly five minutes; she was worried that Sheppard wouldn't be pleased with her. She attempted to adjust her lingerie for the thousandth time when she heard a knock on the door. She jumped as Sheppard opened the door and entered the room, shutting it behind him. "Little nervous, beautiful?" he asked with an easy smile. Evie nodded and felt herself begin to blush slightly when she saw his eyes slowly take in her figure. He let out a low growl as he slowly approached her. Damn, just his presence was enough to set her to breathing funny. "Where did you get this?" he murmured, his fingers straying to the sheer, scarlet fabric of the "teddy" that Summer had graciously given to Evie.

"Summer gave it to me," Evie answered, glad that he appeared to be pleased.

"Remind me to thank her…" He let his eyes roam freely over her curves before returning to her hazel gaze. "You're so beautiful," he breathed.

Evie smiled. "Well, thank you. You're not bad yourself. _But_," she said, as she took a step towards him and grabbed the hem of his shirt, "that's gotta go." Sheppard was only too happy to allow her to pull his shirt over his head, the garment being quickly tossed aside. "Much better," she murmured, eyeing his toned chest muscles. He pulled her into his strong arms and enveloped all her senses in a fervent kiss. Her hands started out tangling through his hair, but she soon slid them to his neck and then began working her way down his chest. Sheppard's skin jerked under her gentle touch and he swallowed visibly as she continued memorizing the feel of his body.

When Sheppard broke the kiss for air, Evie immediately began trailing sensuous kisses down his neck. "Anxious, Vixen?" he crooned, slipping his shoes off and sliding his hands down her sides to rest on her hips.

"Want you," she murmured into his neck and began sucking on the sensitive skin.

"Well, then," he said softly, his voice low with desire. "What do you say we take this somewhere more comfortable?" He scooped up her legs and carried her over to the bed, gently laying her on the cushy mattress. "You're mine now, beautiful," he grinned, his lips descending upon her neck. "All mine…"

XXXXXX

Six hours later, Evie was pulled from her semi-awake state by the annoying voice of Rodney McKay. "Sheppard!" he called. "Evie!"

Evie groaned and muttered, "Go away, Rodney," as she snuggled deeper into Sheppard's embrace.

"Come on, you two," Rodney called, knocking on the door. "We're leaving. Lorne's already radioed me twice."

"Time to go, dear," Sheppard murmured, stretching.

"No… Let's just forget Atlantis and stay here," she whispered, toying with the dark curls that covered his chest.

Sheppard chuckled. "That'd be fun…" He started to get up, but Evie grabbed his wrist, pulling him back into her arms. She gave him her best puppy-dog eyes. He slowly grinned. "Hey, McKay…think you could give us fifteen minutes?"

"No," Rodney answered, obviously annoyed. "You've had plenty of time to…to… You've had plenty of time."

Sheppard sighed. "We really do need to go, _Mrs. Sheppard_," he said with a grin.

"Mmm…" Evie smiled. "'Mrs. Sheppard,'" she repeated. "I like the sound of that."

"Do you now, Mrs. Sheppard?" he asked, gently brushing his lips against her forehead. "I like it, too." He placed several light kisses on her face, murmuring, "Mrs. Sheppard," each time.

"Any day now," Rodney called from outside the room.

"Hold your horses," Evie called with a frown.

Sheppard grinned and gave her one last toe-curling kiss before getting out of bed and attempting to find his clothes.

When the newlyweds stepped outside the room, Rodney rolled his eyes at their pleased grins. "I take it you two enjoyed yourselves?" he asked sarcastically as they walked down the stairs. Sheppard opened his mouth to comment, but Rodney cut him off. "If you are going to continue this back in Atlantis, I suggest you try to keep it down," he said, smirking.

"Huh?" Evie asked as they stepped out of the inn and into the sunlight.

Rodney cleared his throat and then began in a falsetto, "John…ohh, _John!_"

Evie couldn't stop her cheeks from flushing. She turned to her husband. "Can I hit him?"

"Oh, don't mind him. He's just jealous," he said with a grin, slipping his arm around Evie's waist.

"'He's just jealous,'" Rodney mimicked, crossing his arms and smiling wryly. "Puh-leeze. And wipe that grin off your face, Colonel. Honestly, you look like the Chesire cat."

Sheppard fought for a moment with the smirk that was plastered on his face and finally succeeded in suppressing it. "Better?" he asked.

"Yes. Now let's go," Rodney said, turning to depart for the Stargate. Sheppard reluctantly removed his arm from Evie's waist and put some separation between them.

Halfway back to the Gate, the trio met up with Lorne, who, tired of hearing "Yes, we'll be there in just a minute" from McKay, had gone to get them. "What took you guys so long?" he asked.

"We set a new record," Evie said, waving the kite. Sheppard bit back a laugh at the double entendre.

"Glad you guys had fun," Lorne said with a smile. Noticing something amiss, he asked, "What happened to your neck, Evie?"

Sheppard looked over at Evie and saw the small reddish mark near the base of her neck. '_Oops.'_

Evie reached a hand up to feel the skin in question. She realized what it was, but quickly covered with, "When I launched the kite for Colonel Sheppard, I got whiplashed by the tail."

Lorne accepted this answer without question and said, "Well, let's go home."


	13. Shh

**A/N: This one is dedicated to all the Gibblets…**

_"You are the only one that needs to know. I'll keep you my dirty little secret. Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret. I hope that you can keep it. My dirty little secret. Who has to know? When we live such fragile lives, it's the best way we survive. I come around a time or two just to waste my time with you." - All-American Rejects, "Dirty Little Secret" _

Breathing heavily, Sheppard glanced up at the clock. "Evie?"

"Hmm?" She didn't look up from where she lay, panting, snuggled in his arms.

"What time… you s'posed to be… in the Gate Room by?" he huffed, his fingers tracing lazy designs across her back.

"0930," she answered. "Why?"

"Sweetheart… it's 0932," he said, nudging her.

"What!" Evie quickly turned over to look at the clock on her bedside table. "Crap!" She threw the covers back and jumped out of her bed, searching for her clothes among the vestments that lay strewn across the floor. She grabbed various pieces that belonged to her and quickly put them on, ignoring the pleased smirk that her husband was giving her as he watched her hunt frantically for her clothes. "Pants," she muttered to herself. "Where are my pants? John, where did you throw my pants?" she asked, looking under the bed, but not finding her missing reg pants.

"Over there…somewhere," he said, waving his hand towards a corner of the room.

"Where! You could help me look, you know," she said, searching where he had indicated, but finding no pants.

"Are you kidding me? I'm wasted, little Miss Energizer Bunny," he grinned as he watched her continue looking.

"Oh, please," Evie groaned, rolling her eyes. "Aha!" She grabbed her pants from under the desk and quickly put them on. Then she grabbed her socks and shoes, jamming her feet into them. Glancing in the mirror, she quickly attempted to smooth her tousled hair. Then she dashed for the door, calling back a quiet, "Love you. Bye."

By the time Evie made it to the Gate Room, the rest of her team was there, ready and waiting. "I'm sorry I'm late, sir," Evie apologized to Johnson. "It won't happen again."

Johnson nodded. "Dr. Weir, we're ready to go," he called. Elizabeth ordered the Gate technician, and the Stargate began dialing. As the lights spun on the inner ring of the Gate, Johnson couldn't help but notice that Evie was breathing heavily; he knew that even if she had run all the way from her quarters, it wasn't very far. "Are you alright, Lieutenant?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. I was…jogging. Morning routine," she added quickly.

Summer snorted. "Since when?"

"I started last week," Evie answered, shooting her friend a mutinous glare.

Summer's eyebrows rose in realization and she covered with, "Oh. Good for you."

* * *

After resting in her bed for a few moments more, Sheppard got up and took a shower. Then he snuck out of her room and set off to find Elizabeth. "And just what left that grin on your face, John?" she inquired as he entered her office a few minutes later. 

"'Top Gun,'" Sheppard answered perkily. "Really good movie."

Elizabeth smirked, obviously not buying his story, but decided to leave the subject alone. "So, how can I help you?" she asked.

"Actually, that's what I came in here to ask you," Sheppard answered, leaning against the doorframe. "I'm not going off-world until Thursday, so I was wondering if you had anything for me to do.

"Hmm…" Elizabeth thought for a moment. "Well, we're going to need several guys to help unload food crates when the Daedalus gets back tonight, but as for right now… Oh! Dr. McKay said that he could use some help in his lab, if you're up for spending the day with Rodney," she said with a smile.

"I guess I could," Sheppard said. "What's he working on?"

"No idea," Elizabeth answered, smirking. "Why don't you let me know?"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a wry smile.

Using the transporter, Sheppard arrived at Rodney's lab just a few minutes later. "Morning, Rodney," he greeted. "Elizabeth said you could use my help?"

Rodney frowned. "I don't _need_ help," he assured. "But I could use a hand going over these equations to make sure they're correct. That is, if you can understand them," he sniffed.

Sheppard rolled his eyes and looked at the marker board that was covered in numbers and letters. "Okay, what have we got here?"

"I modified some Ancient calculations to see if we can…maximize--" He suddenly began sniffing at something in the air. "Is that…strawberries?"

'_Oops,'_ Sheppard thought to himself. '_**Knew** I shouldn't have used the shampoo in the pink bottle.'_ "Uhh, I don't smell anything," he said quickly. "Go on."

Rodney sniffed one last time, then shook his head. "Weird. Anyways, the formula should maximize power efficiency in the jumpers." Sheppard sighed as Rodney went into a very, very detailed McKay-explanation.

XXXXXX

"Are we keeping you from something?" Caldwell asked with a sigh.

"Sir?" Sheppard looked up at him.

"That's the fifth time you've looked at your watch," he observed. "Are we keeping you from some pressing engagement?"

"No, sir," Sheppard answered, hefting another box. "Nothing important anyway," he lied.

Grabbing a crate and falling into step beside Sheppard, Michael asked, "Dude, you've been fidgety all evening, what's up?" When Sheppard didn't make an immediate reply, Michael commented absently, "I mean, it's not like you have a wife waiting for you…" Sheppard couldn't help but grin, and Michael couldn't help but notice how pleased the Colonel suddenly looked with himself. His eyebrows shot up. "Are you serious!" he all but squealed. "You married her?"

"Calm down," Sheppard whispered with an amused smile. "And don't tell anybody," he hissed. "Neither one of us wants a court-martial."

"Right, right." Michael nodded. "So, when did this happen?" he inquired quietly.

"When we went to Venalia last week," Sheppard softly answered.

"Ah. Well, congratulations," Michael said as they deposited the heavy boxes in the kitchen.

"Thanks," Sheppard grinned. "Any idea where she might be?" he asked as they exited the kitchen.

"Last time I saw her she said she was heading for Zelenka's lab, I believe," Michael answered.

"Thank you, _very_ much," Sheppard said and set off in that direction. "Good evening, Lieutenant," he greeted with a smile as he entered the lab.

"Evening, sir," Evie returned perkily.

"How'd the mission go?" he casually asked her.

"Oh, you know," she said with a shrug. "Met some people, talked a lot, ate some food. And it was _good_ food."

Sheppard chuckled. "No trade agreements, though?"

Evie shook her head. "Negative, sir. Their technology is very primitive. But they can cook some _good_ food," she repeated, her eyes lighting up. She crossed over to stand next to him, brushing past Dr. Harmon in the process.

Noticing the smirk that was exchanged between his wife and the scientist, Sheppard asked, "Did something happen between you and Dr. Harmon?"

"Did something happen between you and that Chaya chick?" she questioned back, tilting her head to the side.

"Touché," he replied with a small grin. Suddenly a thought crossed his mind. "But you never--?"

"No, we never," Evie reassured him. "Did _you two _ever--?"

"Well, it's been a long day. I'm off to bed," he said quickly.

Evie shook her head. "Kelso," she tried in her best Mexican impression, "you are a whore."

"Oh, you're just jealous," he teased with his trademark grin.

"Psh." Evie rolled her eyes. "Jealous of what?" she said, giving him a quick glance up and down. "You might _think_ you're all that…"

Sheppard licked his lips, smirking. "Well, for not being 'all that', I sure had you behnng frrr nnh."

"Marc is six feet away," she hissed, keeping her hand pressed firmly over his mouth. When he mumbled something, she removed her hand. "Come again?"

"Almost getting caught gives it that extra edge, though. Don't you think?" he murmured with a grin.

Evie rolled her eyes. "I'm hitting the rack," she announced and turned to go.

"Oh, darn. And I had the most interesting idea…" he pouted.

Evie stopped and sighed. She turned back around to face him. "What?"

Sheppard grinned and leaned over to whisper in her ear, "So I was hoping we could……kitchen and then……chocolate and…" The softest of moans escaped her lips after a moment. Smirking triumphantly, Sheppard said quietly, "Follow me after five minutes?"

Evie nodded, the smoldering look in his eyes sending pleasant chills down her spine. '_Evie,'_ she thought to herself as she watched her husband leave, '_you're officially the luckiest girl alive.'_


	14. Medical Tests and the Penlight of Doom

_"Gina works the diner all day. Working for her man, she brings home her pay for love. For love. She says, 'We gotta hold onto what we've got. It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not. We got each other and that's a lot for love. We'll give it a shot.' Whoa, we're halfway there. Whoa-oh! Livin' on a prayer. Take my hand, we'll make it, I swear. Whoa-oh! Livin' on a prayer." - Stellar Kart, "Livin' On a Prayer"_

"There you are!" Michael said, spotting Evie in the mess hall. "You're still eating?" he asked in surprise, noting the large bowl of cereal in front of her. "We're supposed to gate out in five minutes."

"Are you kidding me!" Evie cried, grabbing Michael's wrist and looking at his watch. "Shoot!" She pushed her tray to the middle of the table, leaving it for the kitchen staff, then hopped up from the table and began walking quickly with Michael to the Gate Room. Suddenly she slowed her pace, putting a hand to her head.

"What's wrong?" Michael asked.

"Nothing," Evie said, despite the fact that blackness was edging in on her vision. "I just got up too fast. You know, head rush." She attempted to continue their journey to the Gate Room, but her knees buckled underneath her. Michael barely managed to keep her from hitting the floor.

"We need a medical team!" His voice, as he gently lowered her to the ground, was the last thing she heard before her world went dark.

XXXXXX

When Evie woke up, she found herself, yet again, in an infirmary bed. Michael, from somewhere next to her bed, called, "Carson, she's awake!"

The kind doctor quickly walked over and placed his fingers on Evie's wrist, looking at his watch and taking her pulse. Evie was hooked up to a heart monitor, but Carson liked to do things himself. "How are you feeling, Evie?" he asked.

"I feel fine," she answered truthfully. "What happened?"

"You passed out," Michael answered. "Five minutes ago."

"Lieutenant, what were you doing right before you lost consciousness?" Carson asked, checking her eyes with his penlight.

"I was eating and Michael came and got me. I jumped up and we started heading for the Control Room. I started feeling dizzy, but I thought it was just because I got up too fast."

"Is this the first time this has happened?" Carson questioned, dropping the penlight back into his pocket.

"Well," Evie said, thinking. "I've been feeling a little bit dizzy lately, but only occasionally. And I've never blacked out."

"I see," Carson frowned. Then he turned to Michael. "Michael, I want you to go inform Dr. Weir of what happened. Tell her I'm going to run some tests and that you and the rest of your team should continue with your scheduled mission."

Evie started to protest, not thrilled about spending who-knew-how-long in the infirmary. A look from Carson, and the realization that she really didn't feel too well, stopped her feeble complaint.

Michael nodded, patting his comrade's knee before leaving. "Good luck, Evie."

"You, too," she called.

XXXXXX

"I've got the results from your tests, Lieutenant," Carson said, walking over to where Evie sat fidgeting in a chair.

"Nothing bad, I hope," she said, standing up.

"Oh, on the contrary," Carson said with a cheery smile. "But considering your condition you might want to sit down for this." Giving him a questioning look, Evie reseated herself in the chair. "The reason you've been having these spells of dizziness is quite simple, my dear. You're anemic."

Evie stared at him blankly. "Yeah, I knew that. But I've never passed out before…"

"Yes, but now there's another factor," Carson said, grinning. "You're pregnant."

Evie's jaw dropped slightly and her eyebrows raised. "Are you kidding me?" she squealed.

"No, lass," Carson answered with a grin. "You're about six weeks along. Surely you noticed that yo--"

"Of course, but I thought that it was because of all the stress from my last mission. And I've always been irregular, anyway. Pregnant…wow…" She was glad that he had advised her to take a seat. A joyful smile slowly spread across her face. A frown suddenly replaced it, however, when a thought crossed her mind; she and Sheppard had managed to stay under the radar as a married couple for seven months now, but how would she explain this? "And who am I going to say fathered this child?" she asked, looking up at the kind doctor.

Carson shrugged. "I have no idea. Just don't say it was me. I mean, you're a lovely girl, but…"

Evie laughed. "Oh, don't worry, Carson, I wouldn't."

"Alright then," he nodded with a smile. "I suppose you should inform Dr. Weir, don't you think?"

Evie bit her lip. "Will you come with me? To make sure I don't say something that could get me in trouble?"

"Of course," he said, setting his file down and gesturing for her to exit before him. "Ladies first."

"Thank you." She smiled perkily and departed from the infirmary with an ecstatic bounce. Carson grinned and shook his head as he followed her to find Elizabeth.

XXXXXX

"Good afternoon, Carson," Elizabeth greeted the doctor as he entered the Control Room with Evie at his side. "Have you found the problem with the Lieutenant?"

"Well, it's not exactly a problem, per se," Carson replied. "I'd call it a blessing. But we're going to have to be more careful about the missions that we send Lieutenant Brooks on for the next nine months." Carson was almost beaming more than Evie.

Elizabeth's eyebrows raised in realization. "Congratulations, Lieutenant," she said with a smile.

'_Congratulations indeed,'_ thought Rodney to himself as he eavesdropped on the conversation while working on his laptop. '_How are they going to get out of **this** one?' _

"Thank you, Doctor Weir." Evie returned the smile. Just so long as Elizabeth didn't inquire about the father, Evie could do this.

"I'm assuming this wasn't planned?" Elizabeth asked. Evie shook her head. "And how do you feel about it?"

"Mixed emotions, ma'am," Evie said with a nervous laugh.

"Of course," Elizabeth nodded. "I'll see to it that you are assigned to light duty."

"Thank you, Doctor," Evie said with a grateful smile.

Elizabeth nodded and turned to leave, but then stopped. "Oh, yes," she said, turning back around. "And who might the lucky father be?"

'_Crap.'_ The same curse echoed in the minds of Evie, Carson, and Rodney. Evie looked down. She could say that she didn't know, but then she would appear to have been sleeping around; the last thing she wanted was for her already tarnished reputation to be reduced to "tramp." "Umm…I don't think…I can't…"

Elizabeth picked up on Evie's subtle gripping of Carson's hand. "Evie, what's wrong?"

'_What's wrong? Well, if I tell you what's wrong, I'll be court-martialed!'_ Evie's mind shouted. She suddenly began feeling sick. '_That'd be great. The pregnant lady pukes all over the Control Room. Get it together, Evie!'_ If her nails digging into his palm were paining Carson, he was doing a lovely job of standing there looking relaxed. "He, uhh…"

Elizabeth could tell that Evie's reluctance to disclose the name of her baby's father was more than just embarrassment. "Lieutenant…surely not one of the airmen?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Now Evie was feeling lightheaded. '_Well, fainting might be better than pu--'_

"It's mine." Elizabeth, Carson, and Evie looked in the direction of the voice.

'_God bless you, Rodney. You're an idiot, but God bless you,'_ Evie thought with a weary smile as she watched Rodney slowly approach Dr. Weir.

The surprise was more than evident on Elizabeth's face, but she quickly masked it, turning back to Evie and raising an eyebrow. Evie nodded, not trusting her voice. She hoped the others couldn't tell that she was shaking as she smiled gratefully at Rodney. "Well, uhh…" Elizabeth tried her best to think of something to say, but all she came up with was, "Congratulations to you both." There was an awkward pause, then she said, "If you three will excuse me, I need to… speak with Dr. Zelenka about something."

As Elizabeth left the Control Room, Evie allowed the circulation in Carson's hand to resume. She exhaled shakily. "Well, that could have gone much better. Rodney, could I see you in your lab, please?"

Glancing nervously at Carson, Rodney obediently followed the Lieutenant. When they reached Rodney's lab, Evie quickly dismissed the occupants of the room. She closed the lab door and then ran a hand over her face. "Rodney…"

"Oh, man, Evie…I'm so sorry," Rodney managed. "I-I don't know what I was thinking."

"No, Rodney. Thank you," she said with a half-hearted smile. "I would have either fainted or--or thrown up or, even worse, told the truth if you hadn't stepped up."

"Yes, well, you're in the clear for the moment, but you can't honestly expect me to continue with the ruse." Evie looked at him expectantly. Rodney's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me?"

"Well, could you at least try?" she asked, willing her frazzled nerves not to break down.

"Me? Pretend to…baby…father…I… You're insane!" he cried, starting to hyperventilate.

"Probably so! But what am I supposed to do!" Evie lamented, leaning against the wall. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "So, what do we do? Just tell Dr. Weir that you lied?"

Rodney was silent for a moment, thinking. "No," he answered after a pause. Evie opened her eyes and looked over at him, collapsed in a swivel chair. "We'll go through with this. If anyone found out about you and Sheppard…"

Evie's emotions couldn't handle the jump from elation to terror and then from hope to despair and back again. Several tears slid down her cheeks, but she wiped them away. "Thank you, Rodney," she whispered.

Both paused for a few moments to regain their composure, then stood to leave the lab. Fully realizing what Rodney was sacrificing, Evie hugged him, catching the "always prepared" Dr. McKay off-guard. After a moment, he returned the embrace. "See?" Evie said, stepping back. "I knew you couldn't possibly be as callous as John always said you were."

Rodney's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh, crap."

"What?" Evie looked at him worriedly.

"Just what exactly are we going to _tell_ John?"

"**Oh. Crap.**"

* * *

Waiting an appropriate ten minutes after getting Evie's whispered message, Sheppard began walking to her quarters. He did his best to hide the grin that he was sure was plastered on his face. She must have wanted him badly to risk a tryst in the middle of the day. He knocked on the door of her room, announcing, "It's Colonel Sheppard."

"Come in, _Colonel_," Evie called. Sheppard stepped inside and barely had time to close the door behind him before she pulled him into a passionate embrace.

After a moment, he had to push her back, gasping in oxygen. "And you say _I_ need to learn to control myself," he smirked, then began kissing the side of her neck, his hands sliding down her sides.

When Evie felt him fumbling for the hem of her shirt, she stilled his questing fingers with her hands. "We don't have time for that," she whispered.

"I thought you said you needed me," he growled into her neck.

"No, I said I _needed to talk to you_," she replied, gently pushing him back. "There's a difference."

"Really?" he asked sarcastically, a little disappointed that she merely wanted a conversation.

"Yes, really. Talking can be done with clothes on." Sheppard smirked again, deciding against making the comment that had popped into his head. "Okay, I have good news and what you will probably take as bad news," she said, taking his hand and leading him over to her bed, where they sat.

"Bad news first," Sheppard said, leaning back to rest his weight on his hand.

"Well you have to hear the good news first for the bad news to make sense," Evie said, biting her lip.

"Then why'd you give me a choice?" he asked with an amused smile.

"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "Okay, good news…" She inhaled deeply. "I'm pregnant." She held her breath, waiting for his reaction.

His eyes immediately lit up and a broad grin spread across his face. "Evie, that's great!" He kissed her gently. "What's the bad news? It can't possibly detract from that." Evie looked down. '_That can't be good,'_ Sheppard mused. "What?" Silence. "Evie?" He gently took her hands in his.

"Well…" She still refused to meet his eyes. "When Carson took me to tell Dr. Weir, she wanted to know who the father was…"

"You didn't tell her, did you?" he asked, squeezing her hands nervously.

"No…but I…I started freaking out a-and Rodney saved me by saying the baby was his." The last part rushed out quicker than she had intended, and she slowly raised her hazel eyes to meet his emerald ones. The shock on his face was more than apparent.

Sheppard snapped out of it after a moment. "Rodney? And she believed him!" he asked, attempting to cover the surprise and pain with humor, as was his habit.

"She seemed to," Evie answered, the butterflies in her stomach refusing to dissipate. "But, John…th-this isn't entirely bad…I-I mean, now we…we don't have to worry about anyone suspecting _you_."

"I'll kill him," Sheppard muttered.

"What?"

"I said I'll kill him!" Sheppard growled, jumping off the bed and stalking toward the door.

"John, don't!" Evie called, worriedly rushing after her husband. "John!" She grabbed his arm, but he jerked away.

"Don't," he snarled, storming out the door and leaving Evie in tears.

* * *

Rodney was working in his lab when he heard a loud voice from down the hall. "Where is Dr. McKay?" Rodney recognized the voice. And it didn't sound happy.

"In his lab," another voice answered, and Rodney looked up from his laptop in time to see a furious Colonel Sheppard storm into the room. Rodney swallowed hard.

Sheppard noted the other scientists in the room. "Rodney, I need to speak to you in private," he said, barely managing to control his rage.

Glancing at his computer, Rodney asked timidly, "Can I just fi--"

"Now!" Sheppard roared.

Rodney jumped. He was a dead man. He nodded to the other scientists and reluctantly followed Sheppard out of the lab. By the time they reached one of the empty meeting rooms, Rodney was already hyperventilating. When he heard the door hiss to a very decisive close behind him and turned to see Sheppard standing there with tightly clenched fists, Rodney thought he was going to pass out. "Sheppard, I--"

Sheppard grabbed the front of Rodney's shirt and lifted the poor scientist off the floor, slamming him up against the wall. "What the hell did you think you were doing!" he yelled.

Rodney's eyes were wide with fear; he had never seen Sheppard this angry before. "I didn't think! I _didn't_ think!" he cried weakly. "Evie was freaking out and I-I didn't know what else to do!"

Sheppard shook him, pressing Rodney up higher against the wall. "And now the whole damn place is going to think you slept with her!"

"I'm sorry!" Rodney squeaked, now in danger of hyperventilating himself into unconsciousness.

Sheppard drew back his fist and Rodney ducked as best he could. Suddenly realizing what he was doing, Sheppard released Rodney. The relieved scientist collapsed to the floor as the angry pilot directed his wrath to one of the chairs, kicking it clear across the room with a cry of rage. He gripped the edge of the table until his knuckles were white, breathing deeply and trying to calm his fury. The only sounds for several minutes were Rodney's ragged gasps.

Rodney jumped when Sheppard finally spoke. "Are you going to do this?"

"Am I going to do what?" Rodney asked, slowly pulling himself up with the aid of the table.

"Are you going to continue to pretend it's your child?" Sheppard asked, remaining motionless, his eyes staring blankly at the middle of the table.

"Yes. I, uhh, that is…if you, uh, want me to," Rodney managed.

"Looks like you're gonna have to, no matter how much I hate it," Sheppard said, still angry, but no longer irrational. "_But--_" here he looked over at Rodney "--I don't want _anyone_ getting the idea that you two had a long-term relationship. Is that clear?"

Rodney quickly nodded his head. "Absolutely, yessir. Clear."

"Good." With the unspoken warning of "or else" made perfectly understandable, Sheppard exited the room, leaving behind a very skittish, very worried Rodney.


	15. Sometimes Kissing Losers can be a Really

**Chapter Fifteen - Sometimes Kissing Losers can be a Really Fun Diversion**

"_You're the only one I'd be with 'til the end. When I come undone, you bring me back again. Back under the stars, back into your arms. And I don't want to fall to pieces, I just want to sit and stare at you. I don't want to talk about it. And I don't want a conversation, I just want to cry in front of you. I don't want to talk about it, 'cause I'm in love with you." - Avril Lavigne, "Fall to Pieces" _

A man on a mission, John Sheppard walked purposefully to his wife's quarters. They had agreed to meet at four o'clock, and he was two minutes late. Satisfied that no one had seen him, he slipped into her room. He frowned when he saw her asleep on her bed and walked over to wake her up. He stopped, however, when he saw a note addressed to him on her bedside table.

"_John, I'm so sorry, but I'm about 7 hours behind on my sleep and I was about to fall over. I promise I'll make it up to you. I love you so much. :D Love, Evie." _

Sheppard smiled lightly. She didn't need to apologize. Looking at his watch, he kicked off his shoes. He didn't really care if he didn't get lucky; he was content just to be with her. He slid into the bed next to her, sliding his arm around her waist and lightly kissing her neck. After a moment, he heard her chuckling lightly, although she was still sound asleep. Sheppard smiled; it was always interesting to watch her sleep…

_"How's Evie?" Sheppard asked, walking into the infirmary first thing in the morning. _

_"She's fine. Resting comfortably," Carson answered from his standpoint at the side of her bed. "Oh, Summer's here somewhere. The poor lass hasn't left her side, bless her heart." _

_"And what are you doing?" Sheppard questioned. _

_"For the first time in four days, absolutely nothing." _

_"So, you're just…watching her sleep?" Sheppard asked skeptically. _

_"Mmhmm." Carson nodded. "It's quite fascinating, actually. She dreams an awful lot. I mean, everyone does, but her dreams are more…intense, I guess you'd say," he finished with a chuckle. _

_"And by intense you mean…?" Sheppard pressed, curious. _

_"Well, she gets these amusing facial expressions as her dreams progress," the doctor explained. "She talks in her sleep, too." _

_Sheppard grinned. "Really?" _

_Carson nodded. "She was dreaming about you the other day," said the Scotsman with an amused smile. _

_Sheppard raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?" _

_"Well, as far as I know, you're the only Colonel Sheppard on this expedition." _

_"She was talking about me in her sleep?" _

_"Talking **to** you," Carson corrected with a smile. _

_"Well, what'd she say?" Sheppard was now very intrigued. _

_"Something along the lines of, 'See, Colonel Sheppard, I **told** you it wouldn't work. But, no, you never listen to me…'" _

_Sheppard chuckled. "And that was it?" _

_"Yes," Carson said, nodding. "Then she rolled over and was quiet." Sheppard shook his head; he was going to have fun teasing her about this later. "Oh! Do you know of anyone with the nickname 'Ducky'?" Carson asked all of a sudden. _

_Sheppard thought for a minute, then shook his head. "Can't say that I do, Doc. Why?" _

_"Well, she was telling someone named Ducky to 'get to the point' just before you came in here," Carson explained. _

_"Sorry, can't help you there," Sheppard said with a shrug…_

XXXXXX

"Why aren't you ready to go?" Summer asked Evie Saturday afternoon. "We signed up for the paintball guns today, remember?"

"Oh," Evie looked up from her book and frowned. "Yeah… Sorry, but I can't go."

Summer crossed her arms. "And why not?"

"Carson suggests that I don't," Evie replied.

"Why? What's wrong?" Summer asked, immediately concerned.

"Oh, nothing's _wrong_," Evie said with a secretive smile.

"Well, then what?"

Evie thought for a minute. "I'm awaiting the Teletubby invasion forces," she joked.

"Teletubbies? Evie, what on Earth are you talking about?" Summer asked.

"I've got a three-month pass for the morning porcelain express," Evie tried again.

"Woman, would you just say what you mean?" Summer demanded, growing annoyed.

"I've got a Pop Secret in the microwave?" Evie attempted hopefully.

"Evie, I swear if you don--" Summer's eyebrows suddenly shot up. "Ohmigosh, you're pregnant!"

Evie grinned and bobbed her head up and down.

"Oh my gosh!" Summer cried, hugging her friend tightly. "That's so great, Evie!"

Evie happily returned the embrace. "I know; we're excited, too."

"Are you two ladies ready to go?" came Michael's voice from behind them.

Releasing her friend, Summer asked Evie, "Can I tell him?" Evie nodded, amused by her friend's enthusiasm. "Michael, Evie's pregnant!" she announced with a grin.

Michael gasped. "John and Evie had sex?" he asked with feigned shock.

Summer rolled her eyes. "Michael…"

Michael grinned. "Congratulations, Evie," he said, gently hugging her.

Suddenly, a thought struck Summer. "Hey, Evie…what if someone wants to know who the father is?"

Evie looked down and laughed nervously. "See, that's the funny part…" And then she somewhat awkwardly related the tale of Rodney sacrificing his reputation for Sheppard's sake.

"Ohh, girl," Summer said when Evie was finished, "I hope you three know what you're doing."

"Me, too," Evie said. "Me, too."

XXXXXX

Later that evening, Evie entered Elizabeth's office and waited for Rodney to finish speaking with Dr. Weir. When he was through, he attempted to walk past Evie with just a curt nod. Noticing that they generally kept each other at an arm's length, Elizabeth commented shrewdly, "You know, for an expecting couple, you two don't seem very close."

"Oh, we are. Close. We're close. Don't you think so, dear?" Rodney asked nervously, turning to Evie.

Evie nodded. "Yeah. We're close."

Praying that Evie would forgive him for this, Rodney leaned over and gently kissed her lips. Hoping to convince Elizabeth once and for all that she and Rodney really were "together", Evie brought a hand up to the side of his face and allowed him to deepen the kiss.

When Rodney pulled away a few seconds later, Evie let her hand linger on his face, giving him one of those sweet smiles that she generally reserved only for her husband. "Very close," she whispered. She looked up when she heard approaching footsteps and saw Sheppard walking towards them. Her stomach flip-flopped; she prayed he hadn't seen them.

"Aww, isn't that sweet?" he said with a saccharine smile. "The happy couple sharing a moment." Rodney's barely perceptible whimper was lost amidst the background noise. "I need to talk to Rodney," Sheppard said, announcing his reason for entering Elizabeth's office. He watched as his friend fought to keep from hyperventilating; he was sorry to see him succeed so well.

When Elizabeth noticed the color slowly drain from Evie's face, she put a hand on the other woman's shoulder. "Lieutenant, are you alright?"

"I'm feeling dizzy," Evie replied, looking down so she wouldn't have to endure Sheppard's gaze. "I should probably go see Dr. Beckett." When she wobbled slightly, Elizabeth gently took her arm.

"I'm sure you're busy, Doctor, why don't you let take me her down to the infirmary?" Sheppard offered. Evie's eyes widened.

"Thank you, Colonel," Elizabeth said, handing Evie over to him.

"Oh, and Rodney," he said as he started to lead Evie away, "When I get back, I need to talk to you about the mission report you wrote for P7J-235. Some of the events didn't match the other reports."

"You know where to find me," Rodney said, studying his shoe and wondering just how fast he could pack a bag and gate to some mercifully Sheppard-free planet.

Sheppard nodded and then led Evie out of Elizabeth's office. When he felt the slightest amount of resistance from his wife, he tightened his grip on her arm. Evie didn't protest, but obediently walked where he guided her -- not to the infirmary, but to one of the labs that was apparently empty. He thrust her inside and secured the door behind them. "Evangeline," he began harshly. She hated her name when it was said that way; it reminded her of when her father scolded her as a child, although she doubted that her husband would strike her.

"Joh--"

"What the hell was that!" he cried.

"John," Evie said gently, "Elizabeth has had suspicions that Rodney and I aren't really together, an--"

"So that's supposed to change her mind?" he growled, slowly moving in on her. He wasn't quite as mad as when she had first told him about Rodney's fatherhood claim, but his current wrath was coming in as a close second.

"Look…I'm sorry," she said, backing up. "It seemed like a good idea at the time, a-and I think she might have bought it."

"So, what, anytime someone doubts you two you're just gonna make out? You _tongued_ him, Evie!"

"What, you think I did it because I wanted to?" Her back hit the wall. He put his hands on either side of her, effectively trapping her in front of him.

"I don't know, did you?"

Incensed, Evie reached up and smacked the back of his head. "I love you, John, and you know that," she said firmly. "Rodney is a friend and nothing more. And it hurts me that you would think I could ever love any other man but you." She could see the anger in his eyes giving way to a different emotion: angst. He tried to fight it, but was losing the battle. "Now, don't you _dare_ go and yell at Rodney for this. He's given up a lot so that we can be together."

Sheppard's jaw tightened and he swallowed. Then he sighed and looked down. "I know, I know, I just…" he trailed off. He cursed as he kicked the wall. "I'm sorry, Evie. I don't doubt your fidelity, this is just really…"

"Hard," Evie finished, wrapping her arms around him and tenderly drawing his head to rest on her shoulder. "I know, baby, I know," she murmured, gently stroking his head. Sheppard angrily swiped at his eyes, a few tears threatening. He kissed the side of her neck, holding her tightly.

After a minute of regaining his composure, Sheppard whispered, "Evie?"

"Mmm?"

"Love you."

She smiled. "I love you, too." She lifted his head and gently kissed his lips. "And I'd rather kiss you than Rodney any day."

He grinned. "Well in that case…" He grabbed her hands and removed her arms from around his neck. Pressing her up against the wall, he pinned her wrists above her head the way she loved it, and proceeded to give her a kiss of heart-stopping proportions.


	16. Rodney's Got a Little Problem

_"It's over, so over. The sun is shining, but my heart is sober. Pretending I'm alright, sleep all day 'cause I stay up all night. Don't tell me it's over. I need you more than the sun. She's telling me that we're done. I can't believe that it's over." - Hawk Nelson, "It's Over"_

It was only about a week later that Evie first began developing strange eating habits. Summer made a face as she watched her friend place a layer of pickles between her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Grabbing a salad bowl, Evie spooned a sizable amount of ranch dressing into it. When she turned to leave, Michael asked, "Uhh…don't you want a salad to go with that?"

"No," Evie said with a smile.

When they sat down at with Johnson at a table, Evie took a big bite out her sandwich. "Oh, mam," she said, her eyes lighting up. "Thiff iff weely goo'." Summer and Michael exchanged looks. "You want a bite?" she said, offering the sandwich to Summer.

"Oh, no thanks," Summer politely declined.

Evie shrugged and ate a spoonful of ranch dressing. "Dude, this tastes even better without the salad," she commented, more to herself than the rest of the table. The other three laughed silently to themselves and continued their meal.

When they were finished, Summer turned to Michael and asked, "Do you know what today is, babe?"

Michael stiffened. It was either Valentine's Day…or Summer's birthday…or their anniversary. He swallowed. He had a one in three chance of getting this one right. "Our first anniversary?" he guessed timidly.

Summer grinned. "You remembered!" Michael shrugged with a relieved smile. "So, I was thinking that after dinner we could--" She whispered the rest of her thought in his ear, the detailed message causing his jaw as well as his spoon to drop.

Summer grinned devilishly, having accomplished her purpose. "Well, have a good afternoon," she teased as she left the mess hall.

Michael groaned and dropped his head into his hands. Johnson and Evie laughed. "You aren't getting anything done today, are you?" Johnson joked. Michael just shook his head.

XXXXXX

"And Evie's having his child?" Zelenka asked with a raised eyebrow as he and Sheppard entered one of the labs.

"Yeah, won't it be great?" Sheppard said, grinning. "Having a little toddler running around the city?"

Zelenka smiled. "It will be interesting, that is for sure. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work."

Sheppard nodded and turned to leave, but was stopped by Mary, who had overheard the last half of the conversation. "Colonel, what's all this I hear about Evie expecting?" she asked with an excited smile.

Sheppard nodded with a grin. "Yeah, she's due in April."

"Who's the father?" Mary asked, curious. "Or is that supposed to be hush-hush?"

Sheppard bit his tongue. He wanted to proclaim to the world that it was his child, that Evie was his wife, and that he loved her more than life. Instead he answered simply, "Rodney."

"O-oh," Mary said. Sheppard didn't notice her countenance sadden at this.

Sheppard's watch suddenly beeped. He grinned slightly as he turned off the alarm. "If you'll excuse me, Doctor, I have to go."

"Of course," Mary answered with a nod. "I'll see you later."

Sheppard turned and left the inwardly distraught young woman as he began walking to his wife's quarters. Time for their bi-weekly tryst, or as Sheppard liked to call it, "Happy Hour." The fact that they had not yet been caught still amazed him as he slipped, unnoticed, into Evie's room. He saw Evie working on her laptop and walked over to stand behind her. "I think you're a bit overdressed, dear," he teased, tugging on her shirt.

"No," Evie said, jerking away.

"Oh, c'mon, Evie," he said, attempting to pull her out of the chair.

"Would you stop?" she said, frustrated. "What part of 'No' do you not understand?"

"Why not?" Sheppard asked with a frown.

"I'm tired. I don't feel well. I don't want to. I have a headache," she said, returning to her laptop. "Pick one."

Sheppard sighed. "Please, Evie?" he begged.

"Go away."

Grinning slyly, he lightly placed his hands on her shoulders and lowered his head beside hers. "I love you," he murmured softly in her ear. When he heard her breathing hitch, he grinned. "What if I promise to do all the work?" he whispered breathily.

A chill shot down Evie's spine and she shifted uneasily in her chair. "John…"

"Please, sweetheart," he whispered again and Evie's eyes slowly fluttered shut. He began flicking her ear with his tongue and Evie moaned.

"You don't fight fair," she growled, her head slowly falling back.

"Can I take that as a 'yes'?" he murmured, gently sucking on the top of her ear.

"Fine," she muttered, slowly standing up.

He grinned. "Sheppard wins again."

XXXXXX

"So, Mary," Rodney said, entering the lab and walking over to "his girl". She didn't look too much like her sister, Kate, except for that same sweet smile. While Kate's eyes were an emerald green, Mary's were a sapphire blue. Her dark, short hair was in contrast to her sister's long, blonde tresses. Rodney placed his hands on her shoulders and looked over her shoulder at the lab culture she was examining. "Are we still on for tonight?"

Mary shrugged away from his touch. "No… No, I don't think so," she said quietly.

"What? Why?" Rodney asked, leaning against the desk.

Mary bit her lip, then turned to look at Rodney. "When were you going to tell me about Evie, Rodney?"

"Oh…crap." Mary crossed her arms. Rodney hadn't foreseen _this_ consequence when he had agreed to help Evie. "Mary, I…i-it's not," he stammered. "I mean… Aw, dammit!" he cursed, kicking the leg of the desk. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath and trying to think of an explanation for poor Mary. "Look, Mary… Evie and I aren't still…" He made a rolling motion with his hand, saving himself(and Evie) the indignity of directly referencing their supposed affair. "A-and I really… I really like _you_." Mary didn't look convinced. "Mary, you gotta believe me…" He looked up at her, his eyes pleading with hers.

"Rodney, Evie's due next April," Mary said with a frown. "That means the baby was conceived in July… You and I started dating in February."

Rodney looked down. How could he possibly explain his way out of this one? "Mary, I--"

"There you are Rodney," Evie said, walking into the lab. "Think I could tal-- Oh, sorry. I didn't realize you two were talking. I'll come back later."

"No, it's all right, Lieutenant. I was just leaving. It's over, Rodney," Mary said tearfully, leaving quickly and not bothering to put away her equipment.

Rodney folded his arms on the desk and dropped his head onto them with a groan.

After a pause Evie asked, "Was it something I said?"

"This isn't fair," he mumbled, fighting several different emotions.

"What's not fair?" Evie asked, plopping down into an empty swivel chair.

Slowly turning to face Evie, Rodney answered with a frown, "Mary's breaking up with me."

"Why?" Evie asked, surprised. Rodney merely gestured to Evie's stomach. "Oh." Evie bit her lip. "Oh man, Rodney, I…I'm so sorry." There was an awkward silence, then Evie asked, "Do you think there's anything I could do t--"

"What could you possibly do?" Rodney snapped.

Evie looked down. "Rodney, I jus--"

"Just leave me alone, okay?" With that, Rodney trudged out of the lab.


	17. The Soap Opera Saga of Rodney and Mary

**A/N:** I really hate to do this to you guys, but there will be a two-week posting hiatus, due the fact that I am going to camp and straight from there to New York. I apologize, but promise to double-post for y'all as soon I get back. Only a few more chapters to go... :sob:

* * *

_"Let's be honest. Perhaps it's alright. It's too much for even you to bear. You've got some nerve to come back here. You're not the only one who can smell fear. I go wild 'cause you break me open. Wild, 'cause you left me here. I go wild 'cause your promises are broken. Wild, don't you get it, dear? You're not the only one who runs on instincts. No, I got instincts of my own. You've got a lot of nerve to come back. Plan your attack and I am still waiting. Did you want something?" - Poe, "Wild"_

"Radek?" Rodney asked tentatively as he stood in the doorway of the other man's lab.

"Yes?" Zelenka asked, looking up from his computer. Rodney slowly entered the lab and sat down in one of the empty swivel chairs. "Can I help you?" Zelenka asked after Rodney remained silent for several moments.

"What do women want?" Rodney asked, crossing his arms and frowning.

Zelenka chuckled. "I cannot think of a question more puzzling than that, except perhaps 'What is the meaning of life?'" he replied.

"No, I mean…" Rodney lowered his voice. "What's a good gift to get a woman?"

Zelenka blinked at him for a moment. "Do I have a girlfriend?" he asked.

"What?"

"I am just wondering why you are coming to me with this," Zelenka commented amusedly.

"Because...because you…" Rodney tried, before snapping, "because you're the only person who won't laugh at my pitiful situation, okay?"

Zelenka nodded and then thought for a moment. "Chocolate. Chocolate is always good."

"B-but…I only have a little bit left!" Rodney lamented.

"Well," Zelenka said, returning to typing on his laptop, "there's always flowers. But chocolate is usually better."

"Flowers…"

"Oh, and they love poetry," Zelenka added.

"You want me to write her a poem?" Rodney asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You asked for suggestions, I'm giving you some," Zelenka answered, holding up his hands resignedly.

Rodney sighed. "What rhymes with 'love'?" he asked after a minute.

"Rodney, I would love to help you with your romantic issues, but I am trying to work, please?"

"Fine," Rodney pouted and got up. "Poetry and chocolate, my foot," he muttered, exiting the lab.

After pondering Zelenka's advice for about an hour, Rodney went to his quarters. Standing on his toes, he grabbed the shoebox that was on the shelf in his closet. He set the box down on his desk, opening it and carefully pulling back the layers of tissue paper. There were only six candy bars remaining. He picked up three of them, then thought better of it and put one back. Next, he grabbed a piece of paper and set out to write an "apology" note.

After tossing half a dozen crumpled drafts into the trash can, he decided that he was satisfied with what he had written. After putting away the precious shoebox, he grabbed the two chocolate bars and left. He made his lonely trek down to the lab and stepped inside, first making sure that Mary wasn't present, of course. He reluctantly relinquished the treasured candy at her usual work station and placed the note on top of his peace offering. He fervently hoped that she would forgive him. He hadn't liked a woman this much since he had had a thing for Katie Brown; he and the botanist had separated on friendly terms seven months ago. He cast one last wistful glance at his chocolate before leaving the lab.

Mary returned from her break twenty minutes later. She saw the note on her desk and frowned, recognizing Rodney's distinctive handwriting. Wadding the paper in her fist, she was about to toss it in the trashcan when she noticed the now-exposed chocolate. She decided to give him a chance and gently un-crumpled the note. "_Mary, I know this probably won't change the fact that you hate me, but I wanted to apologize anyway. I know what I did was stupid and that it hurt you. But I assure you that it was a one-time lapse of judgment and will never happen again. I hope you can forgive me. - Rodney" _Scowling, Mary returned the note to its former crumpled state and hurled it into the trash can. Then she tore open one of the chocolate bars, savoring the sweet taste. She wasn't sure she would forgive him, but she was definitely sure she would never refuse a gift of chocolate.

XXXXXX

Later that night, feeling utterly upset about the whole ordeal, Mary paid a visit to her older sister. They were only three years apart and were about as close as sisters could be. Flopping down onto Kate's bed, Mary lamented, "I hate men!"

"What did Rodney do now?" Kate asked with a sigh.

"Did you miss the whole 'Evie's having his baby' thing?" Mary asked sarcastically.

"Oh," Kate said softly. "_That_."

"Yeah. So, naturally when I found out, I told him that our relationship was over."

"Naturally. So what's the problem?" Kate asked.

"The jerk wants me back," Mary answered with a slight air of haughtiness.

Kate raised an eyebrow. "Really? Did he come to you and tell you that?"

"No," Mary answered. "But he wrote me a little note, apologizing and swearing that he would be faithful. Oh, and he gave me some of his chocolate," she added after a pause.

"He gave you chocolate from his _private stash_?" Kate asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, so?" Mary pouted.

"He must be really sorry," Kate observed.

"So, what, you're saying I should go back with him?" Mary asked defensively. "Kate, he cheated on me!"

"I know that, Mary," Kate said calmly. "I'm just saying it appears to me that he's genuinely sorry. I'm not saying that he deserves a second chance, but being a jerk back to him isn't helping anything." Mary frowned and looked away. "You still love him," Kate said after a pause. "Don't you?"

"Kate, would you just _stop_ shrinking me!" Mary snapped in frustration.

"Sorry," Kate said with a half-smile. "I'm just trying to help you so--"

"And don't give me that crap about trying to help me sort out my feelings," Mary warned.

"Well then, what do you want me to say?" Kate asked, crossing her arms.

"Oh, I don't know," Mary groaned and buried her face in Kate's pillow. After silence reigned for a few minutes, she uttered a muffled, "Ymff."

"What?"

Mary turned her head to face her sister. "Yes."

"Yes, what?" Kate asked with a questioning look.

"Yes, I still love him," Mary admitted with a sigh. "Whether or not I can forgive him is another thing."

Kate smiled gently and joined her sister on the bed. "Just remember what happened to Mom," she said, lightly rubbing Mary's back. "I don't want to see you become bitter like her."

Mary nodded. "You know I don't hold grudges well," she mumbled. "I'll be fine in a week or two."

"That's my girl," Kate said with a smile.

XXXXXX

Late that night, Rodney sat in his lab, brooding and attempting to work on a formula that Zelenka had been pestering him about for days. He wasn't really concentrating on the numbers and strange Greek squiggles though; he was thinking about Mary. Maybe he could get Evie to convince Mary that he was only covering for someone else… No, that wouldn't work. Then Mary might ask questions or simply figure it out herself. He sighed dejectedly and tried to concentrate on the figures that were blurring together.

"Rodney?" Zelenka called, entering the lab. "Have you finished yet?"

"No, not yet, Radek," Rodney answered, rubbing a hand over his tired face.

"You've been at it for three days now," Zelenka said, crossing to Rodney and looking at the formula. "Would you like me to take a look at it?" he offered.

"No," Rodney snapped quickly, his pride not allowing him to accept the aid of a fresh pair of eyes. "Just leave me alone. I'll have it for you in the morning," he promised, hoping he would be able to meet this deadline.

Zelenka sighed. "Alright. Do not stay up too late, though," he advised. Rodney nodded, only half-listening, and Zelenka left the lab. Rodney picked up his pencil and returned his attention to the numbers. Wait…was that a four...or a nine? Rodney rubbed his eyes. He was tired and stressed, not a good combination.

"Well, you're up late." Rodney looked up and saw Elizabeth leaning against the doorframe. She smiled and asked, "What are you working on?"

"ZedPM formula," he answered, erasing a mistake and writing down the correct number.

"Sounds exciting," Elizabeth commented. After a pause she asked, "I've been meaning to ask you, did you ever get around to modifying the rest of the jumpers' drive pods for underwater use?"

"No!" Rodney almost shouted. "I've been up to my eyeballs in meaningless drivel the past three days, all right? I'll get to it when I get to it!" At Elizabeth's raised eyebrow, he stared at the floor. "Sorry," he mumbled. "No, I've been really busy lately," he tried again.

"Oh." When Rodney continued working and said nothing further, Elizabeth decided to leave. "Well, good luck with the math," she offered with a gentle smile. Rodney acknowledged her departure with a grunt. "Oh!" Elizabeth turned around and reentered the lab. "I almost forgot. Mary Heightmeyer says to tell you that she completed the research on the bacteria collected from Glendora. She wants you to take a look at it when you can." Rodney sighed. Just when he had gotten his mind off of her… "Rodney?" Elizabeth prodded after a pause.

"Right," he answered. "I, uhh, I'll add it to my list."

Elizabeth nodded. "Goodnight."

"'Night." When she was gone, Rodney let his head drop to the desk as he sighed heavily. He feared the next person who disturbed him would be treated to a full-blown McKay explosion. After resting for a moment, he tried once more to work on the formula.

"Well, look who's still up," came the unmistakable voice of Sheppard.

Rodney dropped his pencil and ran a hand over his face. "What do _you_ want?" he mumbled.

Looking around to make certain that they were alone, Sheppard crossed over to Rodney. "Evie's going in for another ultrasound tomorrow," he said quietly. Rodney began absently fiddling with the pencil, twisting it in his hand. "And she thinks that it would be a good idea if you went with her. You know, keeping up the ruse."

Clenching his fist, Rodney accidentally snapped the pencil in half. "I can't do this!" he cried, pushing his chair away from the desk and throwing the pencil pieces across the room.

"Rodney, I--"

"Rodney do this, Rodney do that, solve this formula, fix that, research this, tend to Evie," he said, his volume increasing as he gestured wildly.

"Rodney, I think you need to calm down," Sheppard said gently.

"Calm down? _Calm down!_" he shouted, on the very edge of completely breaking down. "I'm being pulled in a thousand different directions, I'm stressed to the max, I'm being forced to play the expecting father, and to top it all off, the woman I really _do_ care about dumps me! Did I leave anything out!" he cried.

"Rodney, I'm sor--"

"I can't do this anymore! I just _can't_!" he exclaimed, his voice near breaking. He leaned against the edge of the desk and angrily blinked back his tears of frustration.

"Hey," Sheppard said. "You just need a break. You'll be alright." He put his arm around Rodney's shoulders somewhat awkwardly.

Rodney stiffened under Sheppard's touch. Neither was very used to close physical contact. Slowly, though, Rodney sank into the other man, collapsing as if he just couldn't hold his own weight any more. "I need a vacation," he mumbled.

"You need to go to sleep," Sheppard said, lightly putting his arms around the other man after a moment.

Rodney released his friend a few seconds later. "Yeah… Yeah, s-sleep would be good," he agreed tiredly, rubbing his exhausted eyes with the heels of his hands. "But I have to finish this," he said, returning to the formula.

"No, you don't," Sheppard said, snatching the fresh pencil from Rodney and steering him towards the door.

"But I promi--"

"No," Sheppard said firmly, shoving him out the door and down the hall. "Bed."


	18. Geek Love and Baby Names

**Author's Note:** "New Yooooooooooooooooooooooooooork!" So sorry about the two-week delay, but I was having the time of my life. Note to self: paint comes off floors better with fingernails than with a rag. Anyways, here's the double-post, just like I promised. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen - Geek Love and Baby Names**

_"Broken-hearted and confused, feeling like you've been abused. The second chances never end from now until forever. There will always be second chances and you'll always be on your first try. There will always be second chances and you'll always be on your first try." - Stellar Kart, "Second Chances" _

For the next two weeks, Mary continued to find little gifts on her desk. Most of the notes ended up in the trash can, as she was still angry, but she always kept the presents. Stepping into the lab Monday morning, Mary saw a beautiful bouquet of flowers on her desk. Presuming them to be from Rodney, she had to smile at the effort he had gone to this time. All the other gifts had been things he could get here in Atlantis, but these were Athosian flowers from the mainland. As she admired the flowers, her eyes fell upon the card attached to the stem of a particularly lovely red flower. "_Chekals are red, dimunas are blue, I'm not good with poetry, but I love you." _Mary couldn't help but smile at the sincere attempt. She breathed in the wonderful fragrance of the chekals, then grabbed a piece of paper and began writing a poem of her own.

When she finished, she excused herself from her colleagues and went down to the mess hall. She found one of the cooks, Mya, and asked her for a special favor. When Mya agreed to help Mary get Rodney back, Mary handed the sweet woman the poem and gave her the special instructions. "Remember, Mya, lots of chocolate," Mary insisted.

"Yes, yes, I do it," Mya said nodding. "Now let me work, please, dear." Mary smiled and left.

XXXXXX

"What's up with you, Rodney?" Sheppard asked as they grabbed their trays and began moving through the lunch line. "You've been acting really depressed lately."

Rodney sighed. Maybe Sheppard could convince Mary… "Well, you know how Evie's having my baby?" he said. Sheppard rolled his eyes at his friend, then sighed as the server plopped some green beans onto his plate. "Well, apparently Mary isn't too happy about that."

"Ooh. I'm sorry to hear that," Sheppard said, grabbing a brownie.

"Yeah… So, I was thinking maybe you could help me out?" Rodney asked reaching for a brownie as well.

Before Sheppard had a chance to answer, Mya cut him off. "Oh, no, Mr. Rodney," she said, taking the brownie plate from his hands. "This not for you."

"What, I can't eat dessert anymore?" he asked, confused.

She muttered curses in Japanese as she searched for something behind the counter. "Aha!" She handed him a plate with large slice of cheesecake, his favorite dessert. It had ribbons of strawberry rippling through it and was drizzled with a fine layer of delicious-looking chocolate. Next to the cheesecake was a cute origami flower. "_This_ for you," she said with a smile.

Rodney grinned. "Wow. Umm, thanks."

Sheppard eyed Rodney's dessert jealously as they walked over to an empty table. "Lunch lady have a little thing for you?" he teased.

"I have no idea," Rodney answered, looking at his dessert. It was then that he noticed that the flower appeared to have writing on the inside. "Hold on…" He picked up the delicate piece of origami and gently unfolded it. There was a poem written on the underside of the paper. "_The flowers were lovely, the poem was nice, we can try this again, but this time no lies. If you accept, in your lab I'll be waiting, this second chance is yours for the taking." _A smile slowly flitted across Rodney's face.

"What?" Sheppard asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"I, uhh… I have to go," Rodney said with a grin. He got up from the table and began walking quickly out of the mess hall.

After staring at Rodney's cheesecake for a minute, Sheppard licked his lips and reached for it. His hand was slapped, however, by Rodney, who had returned for the dessert. "Mine," Rodney said, taking the plate and leaving.

When he reached his lab, the only person in the room was Mary. She stood at one of the blackboards, writing out an equation. He tiptoed up behind her and then slipped his arms around her waist.

Mary stiffened slightly; she wasn't sure she was ready for close physical contact with him yet. Not so soon after he'd been with Evie. "I take it you got my message?" she asked, setting down the chalk.

"Yes," he answered, "I thought the cafeteria lady was stealing my brownie." Mary laughed. "So…thanks for the cheesecake."

"Thought you'd like that," she said with a smile, turning to face him and resting her hands lightly on his chest.

"So…does this mean we can move on?" he asked.

'_Aw, to heck with starting again slowly,'_ she thought to herself and gently kissed his lips.

"I'll take that as a yes," Rodney grinned. "So, where…where exactly do we go from here?" he asked somewhat awkwardly.

"Well," Mary said, pulling out of his arms and reaching for her drink. "Like I said, we can try this again, but no lies. And if this relationship is going to work, you have to promise me that just because I'm not 'giving you any', you aren't going to go fool around on the side. Got it?"

"I promise," Rodney said, nodding emphatically. There was silence for several moments, but it wasn't awkward. Silence between geeks in love was never uncomfortable. "Mary," he said after a minute. "Do you… would you like to join me for lunch?"

"I would," she answered with that shy smile that Rodney loved. As they left the lab, Rodney smiled when Mary gently slipped her hand into his.

XXXXXX

The next three months were interesting for Evie. When she wasn't making a shopping list of baby items for the Daedalus, she was either keeping up appearances with Rodney, battling morning sickness, or eating her new favorite dessert: pickles and ice cream. And her loving husband John spent his free time catering to her odd cravings, massaging her sore back, and hoping for a boy.

One evening in November, Sheppard entered his quarters, humming some tune that was stuck in his head. He was surprised to see his wife sitting at his computer desk, playing solitaire. "What are you doing here?" he asked, walking over to her.

Evie stuck out a pouting lower lip. "I come all this way to see you and that's the kind of greeting I get?"

Sheppard pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly. "Better?" he asked when he released her.

Evie nodded and smiled. "So, I got another ultrasound done today," she said after a pause. "Carson was able to determine the sex of the baby."

Sheppard immediately perked up. "He was?"

Evie nodded with a smile. "Uh-huh. It's a girl." She grinned.

"Oh." Sheppard quickly masked his disappointment as images of pink dresses, dolls, and bows came to mind. "That's great. She'll be my little princess."

"Tsk. You're pathetic," Evie said with an amused smile. "I was kidding. It's a boy."

Sheppard's eyes lit up. "Really?" Evie nodded with a grin. "Yes! Oh, yes!" Sheppard pumped his fists in the air. "Yes, yes, yes!"

"Goodness, John, if you get any less excited I might be offended," she teased.

"Sorry. This is just really…great," he grinned, starting to act a little bit like a kid himself "I'll teach him how to play football, and take him fishing, and teach him how to fly, and how t--"

"And you'll feed him, and change him, and stay up nights with him," Evie reminded.

"Yeah, yeah. That, too," Sheppard agreed with a nod, then he couldn't resist adding again. "And I'll teach him how to play football."

Evie shook her head with a pleased grin. "And Rodney went with me this time, right? So, when he found out it was going to be a boy, guess what he said?" she asked.

"He wanted to name it 'Rodney'?" Sheppard guessed.

"You're so smart," she murmured, slipping her arms around his neck. "And _don't_ say it."

Sheppard grinned. "Could have been Men--mmm…" Evie had silenced his usual gloat with a kiss.

When she relinquished his lips a moment later, she rested her forehead against his. "So, I was thinking we'd name him Ai--"

"Aiden?" Sheppard finished with a smile. Evie nodded. "Mmm…Aiden what?" he asked, gently kissing her again.

"Well…I was thinking…maybe…Nathaniel," she managed between tender kisses.

"Any particular reason?" he asked, his lips brushing her forehead.

"It sounds nice," she answered. "And it's Rodney's middle name." Sheppard raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think he deserves that much?" she asked, lightly kissing his neck.

"Aiden Nathaniel Sheppard," he said, trying out the name. "Alright," he agreed, slowly backing her up. "But on one condition."

"And what is that?" Evie asked. Sheppard pushed her onto the bed and gave her one of his boyish grins. Evie slowly grinned in return. "Deal."


	19. Maternity Leave

**Five Months Later**

"_Daylight comes, daylight comes and you've gotta go. Breaks my heart, breaks my heart to have to watch you go. Wish I knew, wish I knew when you'd be back again. However long, it's just too long until we meet again." - Jem, "Stay Now"_

Evie set down her crochet hook and yarn. She was bored out of her mind. She'd been confined to bedrest for a week now, and had nearly finished the baby blanket on which she'd started. Evie felt like harassing someone. But who? Slowly a sly grin spread across her face. She retrieved her headset from her bedside table. "Dr. McKay?"

"Yes?" came Rodney's voice over the radio.

"This is Lieutenant Brooks. Is there any chance that you might be able to bring me some breakfast, since Dr. Beckett won't let me out of bed?"

"Right now?" Rodney snapped. "I'm in the middle of something important." "Well, I suppose it could wait," Evie sighed dramatically. "But _your son _is extremely hungry."

Rodney sighed. "Fine. What do you want?"

"Just a muffin or two," Evie answered with a grin; this was going to be fun.

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Thank you, dear."

True to his word, Rodney knocked on Evie's door ten minutes later. "Room service," he called jokingly.

Evie laughed. "Come in."

"Two muffins, just like you ordered," he said, handing her a plate holding the blueberry-dotted muffins.

"Thank you so much, Rodney," she said, grabbing the first muffin and devouring it hungrily.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" he asked, adding a quick, "Since I'm here."

Evie struck a thoughtful pose for a moment. "Actually, there is something…" she said. "Can you go grab the small blue bag from the bathroom for me?"

Rodney nodded and disappeared into the bathroom. He returned a moment later and handed her the requested make-up bag.

"Thank you," she said, unzipping the bag and digging around inside it. "Aha!" she cried when she found the item for which she had been searching. She withdrew a small bottle of pink nail polish. "Here ya go," she said, handing him the vial.

Rodney looked at it, perplexed. "You don't honestly expect me to give you a manicure?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No, silly," Evie said with a grin. "I want you to paint my _toe_nails!"

"I--_what!_" Rodney looked shocked, worried, and insulted all at once. "No, I draw the line at pedicures!" he cried, holding the nail polish as far away from him as possible.

"Please, Rodney?" she said, giving him puppy-dog eyes and sticking out her bottom lip. "For me? I'd do it myself, but I just can't reach," she explained with a shrug.

After enduring her pitiful gaze for a few moments, Rodney sighed and began shaking the bottle of nail polish. He perched himself on the edge of her bed and unscrewed the lid, mumbling as he did so. "Of all the degrading, ridiculous, unreasonable, humiliating…"

XXXXXX

"Oh! Rodney," Elizabeth addressed the scientist as the team was getting ready to depart on a routine check-up mission.

"Hmm?" he asked distractedly, preparing to power down his laptop.

"Don't you think you should tell Evie that you're leaving?" she suggested. "She is due this week, isn't she?"

"On Saturday," Rodney answered. "Umm, I have to finish this before we leave," he fibbed, pretending to work on his laptop. "Colonel, would you run and tell her?"

"Sure," Sheppard answered, his eyes relating to Rodney his gratefulness. He left the Gateroom and made his way to Evie's quarters. He knocked on her door and called, "Are you decent, Lieutenant?" as a precaution, for one of the SF's was walking down the hall.

"I'm about to lose my mind in here, but I'm dressed, yes," Evie answered.

Sheppard smiled and opened the door. "Officially, I'm here to tell you that Rodney is going off-world," he announced as he walked over to where she stood in front of her mirror, attempting to pull her hair into a ponytail.

"And unofficially?" she teased.

He grinned. "Unofficially, I'm here for my kiss goodbye."

Evie laughed. "Just a minute," she said as she finished with her hair. "Hey, do you think you could sneak me a bowl of ice cream before you leave?"

"I don't think you need any ice cream, sweetheart," he answered sweetly. During the course of her pregnancy Evie had put on about twenty pounds.

"Are you calling me fat?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I prefer to think of it as 'pleasantly plump,'" he joked.

"Ugh." Evie groaned as she looked in the mirror. "I look like a whale."

"But a very beautiful whale," he commented.

"Not helping!" she said as she replaced her hairbrush in the drawer.

"Sorry." He moved to stand behind her and slipped his arms around her not-so-slender waist. "Love you," he whispered in her ear, then began nibbling on her earlobe.

Evie groaned softly and pulled her head away. "Don't make me want you," she murmured.

Sheppard grinned. "You know you do," he teased.

"Maybe…" She smiled. "But that's beside the point."

"And what _is_ the point?" he asked, gently turning her around and kissing her senseless.

When Evie's eyes fluttered open a minute later, she stammered, "I, uhh…I-I forget…"

Sheppard smirked; he loved doing that to her. "Are you sure you'll be okay with me leaving?" he asked after a pause.

Evie nodded. "Carson says I'm not due for another five days."

"Alright," he said with a sigh. "Just don't have him until I get back."

"Well, I'll do my best to plan this around _your_ schedule, dear," she said sarcastically.

Sheppard grinned. "This is a routine mission, so we should be back either today or tomorrow, alright?"

Evie nodded. "Just make sur--" She stopped suddenly.

"What?" Sheppard asked, alarmed.

"He's moving around," she said with a smile, taking his hand and placing it on her abdomen.

Sheppard smiled. "I think he's ready to meet the world," he commented as he felt his child shift inside Evie.

"I know _I'm _ready for him to get here," she said with a sigh.

"But you have to wait until Daddy's here, got it?" he addressed the baby, rubbing her stomach.

"We'll try our best," Evie promised.

Sheppard smiled, then noticed her feet for the first time. "Why are your toenails pink?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Evie giggled. "Because I was being mean to Rodney."

"I didn't know you were the pedicure type," he commented.

"I'm not," she answered with a grin. After a few seconds, Sheppard's eyes lit up in realization. Evie nodded with a laugh.

"Well," he said, "I guess I'll see you when I get back."

Evie nodded and kissed him goodbye. "Be safe," she called as he left.

XXXXXX

As the team made their way through the dense jungle, trekking to the somewhat familiar city, the small talk inevitably turned to "Rodney's baby."

"You excited, McKay?" Ronon asked.

"Little bit, yeah," Rodney answered, then added, "More nervous than anything, though." Sheppard shook his head. He knew _he_ was excited.

"I think having a new little one in the city will brighten our lives," Teyla said with a smile.

"It'll be different, that's for sure," Rodney said, somewhat sarcastically.

"Will the child call you 'father'?" Teyla inquired.

Rodney shook his head. "Since we're not really together, Evie would prefer if he called me 'Uncle Rodney,'" he explained. Teyla nodded approvingly.

Sheppard rolled his eyes as he continued walking. Lately, Rodney's role as "father" had really been grating on his nerves…

"_Aww, Rodney, this is too cute!" Evie exclaimed as she unwrapped the bib that he had "special-ordered" via the Daedalus. It was light blue and had brightly colored atomic models on it. Sheppard rolled his eyes from his position in the mess hall a table away. "Thank you," Evie said with a smile. "You can never have too many of these." _

_"So I've heard," Rodney said. "So…am I going to have to help feed it?" he asked after a pause. _

_"'**It**'?" Evie repeated, raising her eyebrows. "Yes, Rodney, you'll help me out by feeding **him**." Rodney nodded, somewhat unsure of how that future event would pan out. "Oh!" Evie cried suddenly. Sheppard about jumped out of his chair. _

_"What?" Rodney asked, looking at her nervously. _

_Evie reached for his hand and placed it on her stomach. "He's got the hiccups," she announced, grinning. "You feel that?" _

_Rodney gently rubbed his hand over her abdomen, feeling the light, rhythmic jolts from within. He couldn't help but smile. "So, do you think he'll look like me?" he joked after a minute. _

_Evie laughed. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Although, I wouldn't mind him having your eyes," she teased. "Ugh," she said after a slight pause. "I have to pee again," she said with a frown. _

_"**Again**?" Rodney asked, raising his eyebrows. "You just went like twenty minutes ago!" _

_"Well, Aiden has decided to sit right on my bladder," Evie explained. "And Carson's constant shoving water down my throat doesn't help matters any." Rodney nodded. "If you'll excuse me," she said, standing up. _

_"I'll be here," Rodney called, chuckling to himself as he watched her leave…_

But…he did owe Rodney a lot, Sheppard supposed. Rodney had nearly lost Mary on account of the charade. And he _had_ been schlepping for Evie a lot lately. Heck, he'd even sat with her through a Lamaze class by Carson. _That_ had been amusing to hear about. The poor scientist. When first told that he was expected to be by her side in the delivery room, he had flat-out refused. A little coaxing from Evie and the promise of chocolate had finally convinced him to change his mind, however. Sheppard just hoped that he could be there as well.

* * *

"You're sure Carson isn't going to, like…beat us with sticks or something for sneaking you out of your room?" Michael asked as he and Summer walked with Evie down to the mess hall.

"What Carson doesn't know won't hurt him," Evie said with a smile. "I'm hungry, anyway."

"We could have brought you food," Summer reminded.

Evie shook her head as they entered the kitchen. "I had to get out of my room. Hey, Mya," she said, greeting the sweet Japanese woman. "I'm here to steal some ice cream."

Mya smiled and began walking towards the large freezer. "With pickles, yes?"

"Yes, ma'am," Evie answered with a grin. Mya quickly prepared a bowl and handed it to Evie. "Thank you," Evie said, devouring a large spoonful. "Ooh…brain freeze."

Summer rolled her eyes in disgust. "C'mon, let's go sit down."

Walking to a table, Michael began, "You know, Evie, if you didn-- Ow, ow, ow." Evie had grabbed ahold of his arm and was digging her nails into him. "Evie, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"Infirmary," she said. "_Now_."


	20. A Tale of Three Parents

**A/N: **"Please stayed tuned after the feature for a look at BP's next installment."

* * *

_"If tomorrow feels like a lonely room without someone there holding you, know you'll be alright, I'll be at your side, at your side. Hold on tight. You know I'll never be too far 'cause I wrote this promise on your heart. Just a whisper away, I'm closer to you than the air that you breathe. Believe me it's true. I will never leave, I promise to you. Forever, forever we will be." - Plus One, "Be" _

"Incoming wormhole," the Gate technician called.

"Oh, please tell me it's Colonel Sheppard's team," Elizabeth prayed, watching the event horizon fill the Gate.

Checking the IDC, the tech smiled. "It is, ma'am."

"Thank God," Elizabeth murmured. "Lower the shield." The tech obeyed and after just a few seconds, Sheppard, Teyla, Ronon, and Rodney appeared through the Gate.

"Well, that could have gone much better," Sheppard muttered as the Gate shut down.

"I'm glad you're back, Rodney," Elizabeth said, rushing down the stairs.

"You missed me?" Rodney teased smugly.

"No, actuall--" Elizabeth began.

"You didn't miss me?" Rodney cut her off and feigned insult.

"No, it's not tha--"

"You could at least preten--"

"Rodney!" Elizabeth cried, exasperated.

"What?" Rodney cocked his head to the side.

"Evie's in the infirmary. She went into labor about an hour ago," she explained.

Rodney's eyes widened to the size of small saucers and Sheppard nearly dropped his gun.

"Well?" Elizabeth said when Rodney just stood there.

"Oh! Right!" Rodney began following Elizabeth to the infirmary, casting a nervous glance back to Sheppard as he walked.

Quickly depositing his weapons and gear in the armory, Sheppard double-timed it to the infirmary. Seeing only Michael and Summer waiting outside one of the private rooms, he dropped his guard. "How is she?" he asked nervously, sitting down in one of the chairs.

"She's doing okay," Summer said, relieved that Sheppard had made it back.

"Where's Rodney?" was his next question.

"With Evie," Michael answered, gesturing to the room. "He went in there about five minutes ago. Or rather, Elizabeth dragged him in there. You know, for an expecting father, he doesn't seem very excited," he joked with a grin.

Suddenly, Rodney came bursting through the doors and into the waiting room. "What's wrong?" Sheppard asked, immediately on his feet.

"I-I can't do this!" Rodney cried. "I can't!"

"Oh, yes you can!" Sheppard said, grabbing Rodney's shoulders, turning him around, and pushing his resisting friend back through the door.

"Colonel, what are you doing in here?" Carson asked from where he sat perched on the edge of Evie's bed, holding her hand.

"I'm, uhh, Rodney's moral support," Sheppard said, thrusting Rodney over to the other side of the bed and closing the door behind them. Unsure of what to do, Rodney reseated himself in the chair next to Evie, lightly taking her hand and patting it compulsively. Noting the nurse standing only a few feet away, Sheppard added, "If it's alright with the Lieutenant, that is." Evie nodded and then whimpered as another contraction hit her.

"Just breathe, Evie," Carson said gently. "You're doing great." He glanced at the fetal monitor. "Alright, the worst part's almost over," he said after a moment. Evie squeezed his hand and clenched her teeth. Sheppard hated seeing her in pain, especially since there was nothing he could do about it. "There we go," Carson said when the contraction had passed. "You're doing wonderfully, my dear."

Moving over to stand beside Carson, Sheppard whispered in the doctor's ear, "Think we can lose the nurse? I want… I need to be with her for this."

Carson nodded understandingly. "Emma, do you think you could get Evie another cup of ice? And then I think I can handle it from here."

"Yes, doctor," sweet Nurse Emma replied, filling the cup with crushed ice and placing it in Evie's hand. "I'll be outside if you need me," she said.

"Thank you, dear," Carson said as Emma left.

As soon as she had closed the door, Sheppard was at his wife's side. "Hey, Evie, how're you doing?" he asked, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand.

"Much better now that you're here," she murmured. Sheppard gently kissed her and then unceremoniously shoved Rodney out of the chair.

"So…how long is this supposed to take?" Sheppard asked after a moment.

"You can't rush art," Evie joked.

"It all depends," Carson answered. "It could take as short as a couple of hours. Could take a whole day."

"_A whole day?_" Rodney repeated. "My nerves won't handle that!"

"Or longer," Carson added, teasing the anxious scientist. "Firstborns often take their time." Rodney whimpered.

"Just sit down, Rodney," Evie said. "We wouldn't want you to hyperventilate or som-- Ooh!" She squeezed her husband's hand tightly.

"What? What's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked, looking up at Carson anxiously.

"Relax, Colonel. She's have a contraction," Carson explained gently. "This is the part that takes a long time." He slowly stood up. "Now, if it's alright with you, Evie, I'll leave you with your…husband--" He couldn't help but smile as he said it. "--while I make sure that we have a sterile environment set up for the infant." Evie nodded, clenching Sheppard's hand and inhaling sharply as the contraction reached its most painful point. Carson released her hand and began walking toward the door.

"Wait, Carson, wh-what am I supposed to do?" Sheppard asked worriedly.

Carson smiled lightly. "Just talk her through it." He cut off Sheppard's protest with, "I have full confidence in you, Colonel. I won't be gone long." With that, he stepped outside, leaving Sheppard very worried.

"Okay, uhh…you doing alright now?" he asked.

"Yeah. They're coming about four minutes apart," she said, leaning back against the pillow and closing her eyes. "I'm so glad you made it," she sighed.

"Me, too," he kissed her cheek.

There was a calm silence for a few moments, then Rodney spoke up. "So…just to clarify, I don't have to actually _do_ anything…right?"

"Yes, Rodney," Sheppard answered sarcastically. "You just sit in your own little corner over there and let everyone out there _think_ you're being a good father-to-be."

Rodney nodded. "Just so we're clear."

Evie laughed lightly. "I know this isn't what you signed up for, Rodney, but thanks. I don't know what we-- Oh! Freaking cow!"

"Whoa, okay, umm…just breathe," Sheppard repeated nervously, returning her hand squeeze.

"Oh, shut up. You did this to me!" she cried as the pain grew more intense.

Sheppard tried to make her laugh, replying with a smirk, "You didn't complain then." Releasing his hand, Evie smacked the back of his head. "Ow!" Sheppard rubbed his head with his free hand, frowning.

Evie suddenly inhaled sharply, clenching the bed sheets in her fists. "John," she managed. "I don't think I can do this…"

"Yes, you can," he insisted, gently stroking her head. "Look at me. You can do this. Just breathe." Evie took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, whimpering softly.

XXXXXX

Six long hours later, Carson looked up from tending to Evie. "Colonel," he said, grabbing two surgical masks. "I need you to go get Nurse Emma." He quickly donned a mask and tossed the other one to Rodney. "Try to look happy, Rodney," Carson teased as the scientist nervously put on the surgical mask. When Sheppard just stood there, holding Evie's hand and watching her worriedly, Carson prompted him again. "_Now_, Colonel!"

"John, please don't go," Evie whispered as his hand slipped out of hers.

"Don't you worry, love," Carson comforted gently. "We'll take care of you. You're almost there."

Sheppard burst through the doors and saw Nurse Emma sitting in one of the chairs beside Summer and Michael. "Carson needs you," he said hurriedly. Emma hopped up and the two of them quickly returned to the room. She immediately began preparing the necessary surgical utensils, while Sheppard was forced to just look on from the side of the room.

"You're doing great, Evie," Carson said. "I just need you to push," he coached. Evie cried out as she squeezed Rodney's hand tightly. Rodney's eyes were wide and his face was ashen; he hoped that he wouldn't pass out in front of Sheppard. Again. Determined to make it through this, he nodded resolutely and offered a, "Come on, Evie. Almost there."

Sheppard ran a hand shakily through his hair as he paced anxiously back and forth. He could only watch as Rodney sat there in _his_ place, as _his_ wife gave birth to _his_ child. This wasn't the first time he had found himself forced to not intervene for the sake of keeping their secret…

_"So, McKay," Kavanagh began, falling into the lunch line behind Rodney. "You and Brooks?" Rodney nodded sheepishly. "So, how was she?" Kavanagh asked, grabbing his tray. Sheppard stiffened at the man's offensive question. _

_"Excuse me?" Rodney said with a frown, turning to face the other scientist. _

_"I mean, she's kinda hot," Kavanagh explained with a grin. "I was just wondering if she was as good as she looks." _

_"Hold me back," Sheppard muttered to Ronon, who took him literally and clamped his hand around Sheppard's arm. _

_"First of all, this is your business, how?" Rodney scowled. "And second,_ _I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't talk about her that way," he said curtly, piling food on his place. _

_"Ooh, touchy," Kavanagh goaded as they moved through the line. After a pause he looked up at Rodney. "You're not still hitting that, are you?" _

_Sheppard's pie plate clattered to the floor as he slammed it too hard onto his tray, and he bit his tongue to keep from laying into the slimy scientist. _

_"No, Kavanagh," Rodney answered, obviously losing his patience. "I'm not 'hitting that.' Now, will you please leave the subject alone?" _

_"Somebody's grumpy," Kavanagh commented with a frown as he grabbed his dessert and headed to his own lonely table. _

_Rodney looked over at Sheppard and noticed that the other man was glaring at Kavanagh like he was about to knock him into next week. "Easy, Colonel," he said quietly. "We can't have you making a scene." _

_"Can I just hit him once?" Sheppard asked through tightly clenched teeth. _

_"No," Rodney ordered as they walked to one of the empty tables. _

_"Then can you…do something nasty to his computer?" asked Sheppard, sitting down across from Rodney. _

_"Now that I can do," answered Rodney with a mischievous grin…_

The sound of crying brought him back to the present. He looked over and saw Carson holding a tiny body covered in goo. "Congratulations, my dear," Carson said cheerily. "You have a son." Evie fell back against the pillow, breathing heavily. When Carson moved away from Evie, Sheppard was immediately at her side. He couldn't help being slightly in awe at the feat she had just accomplished.

"What's his name?" Carson asked, gently handing the screaming pink boy to the nurse.

"Aiden…Nathaniel Sh--Brooks," she answered softly, barely managing to catch her slip of the tongue.

Carson nodded with a knowing smile and then attended to the child.

Evie sighed heavily and closed her eyes, still panting. She felt her husband gently sweep away the stray hairs that were stuck to her cheeks. "You okay, sweetheart?" he whispered, careful not to let the nurse hear.

She nodded weakly, but before she had a chance to reply, Rodney answered, "Well, my nerves are a little frazzled but I think I'll be alright, thank you, _darling_."

Sheppard rolled his eyes and Evie smiled lightly. "Rodney…why don't you…go tell Summer an'…Michael?" she panted.

"Okay," Rodney said, hopping off the chair, grateful for a chance to stretch his legs and get away from the screaming infant.

XXXXXX

"He's so beautiful," Sheppard whispered, admiring his tiny son asleep in his mother's arms, a few hours later. "He's got your nose," he observed.

"And your elf ears," Evie teased.

Sheppard chuckled. "What are people going to think if this kid looks more like me than he does McKay?"

"At this point, I really couldn't care less," she said, pulling him in for a kiss. Releasing him quickly when she heard someone knocking on the door, she called, "Enter."

Rodney stepped into the room with a hesitant smile. "You feeling better?" he asked.

"Much, thank you," Evie answered. "And I thought you did a very good job of not fain--of not passing out," she said with a smile.

Rodney shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? I'm not really into the whole 'miracle of birth' thing. Well," he said, looking at the baby, "he's looking much better now."

"You mean not so much like a lizard?" Sheppard teased, referring to an earlier comment made by the scientist.

Rodney grinned sheepishly and nodded.

"You want to hold him?" Evie asked, offering him the tiny bundle.

Rodney held up his hands and took a step back. "Oh, n-no, I don't think that would be a goo--"

"Relax, Rodney. You're not gonna break him," Sheppard said, taking the baby from Evie and gently placing it in Rodney's arms.

Rodney held the child stiffly, as if it were a bomb about to go off. However, when Aiden yawned sleepily and cracked his eyes open, Rodney relaxed somewhat. "Hmph," he said after a moment, and then addressed the infant. "You don't look a _thing_ like me." Aiden just blinked at him. When Rodney moved his hand to adjust the baby's blanket, Aiden latched onto it, curling his tiny fingers around one of Rodney's. A smile slowly flitted across Rodney's face and Evie and Sheppard exchanged amused grins.

"So," came a familiar Czech accent. The three looked up to see Zelenka standing by the open door. "How do _you_ like being Mr. Mom?" he teased.

Before Rodney had a chance to respond, Evie answered for him. "Oh, he's great. He's already agreed to help with the three o'clock feedings and split the diaper duty," she said with a grin.

"I…what? _Diapers_?" Rodney looked over at Evie, his eyes wide. "Three _A.M._?"

"They eat, they sleep, they poop," Sheppard said, loving to mess with McKay's head. "Or did you not know what you were signing up for?" He grinned.

"Oh, and they cry," Evie added.

"Yes. Can't forget the screaming and crying. _Dad._" Sheppard knew he'd hear about this later, but right now he was enjoying himself too much to care.

As if on cue, baby Aiden began to fuss. "What did I do?" Rodney asked worriedly, looking at the crying child.

"You didn't _do_ anything," Evie said. "Just rock him."

Rodney began gently swinging the baby back and forth, but Aiden just cried louder. "Please don't cry," Rodney begged the infant.

"You're a natural, Rodney." Zelenka couldn't resist teasing his friend.

"Oh, like _you_ could do better," Rodney snapped. "Make it stop…" he said nervously as Aiden's volume increased.

"Oh, for pete's sake," Sheppard sighed, gently taking his crying son from the desperate scientist. Resting the baby's head against his shoulder, he began patting Aiden's back while bouncing him ever so slightly. After a few moments, Aiden's screaming dwindled to a few occasional whimpers. "See? It's not that hard."

"Okay, that thing needs a pacifier," Rodney decided.

"'That _thing_'?" Evie repeated, raising her eyebrows. "What a nice way to talk about your son," she said sarcastically.

"I mean…that _precious, adorable bundle of joy_," Rodney said with an over-exaggerated sweet smile.

"Much better," Evie said with a nod. "Okay, I don't want to kick you guys out, but I'm ready to go to sleep." She yawned tiredly as if to accentuate her point.

"Alright, you heard the lady," Rodney said, shooing Zelenka out of the room and exiting behind him. Sheppard carefully handed the sleeping baby to the nurse, who gently placed him in the bassinet. He turned to Evie and whispered, "Goodnight," before Nurse Emma ushered him out of the room.

XXXXXX

As he passed by Evie's quarters two days later, Rodney suddenly heard crying from within. He stopped walking and, when the baby didn't quiet down after a moment, he lightly knocked on the door. "Anybody gonna get that?" he called. Receiving no answer, he sighed and opened the door. All the lights were off and Aiden was fussing in his crib. He heard the shower running and realized that Evie couldn't hear her son. "Okay, somebody needs to shut that thing up," he muttered to himself. Glancing up and down the hall and seeing no one, he groaned and entered Evie's quarters. Turning on the lights and closing the door behind him, he walked over to the crib and gingerly pulled out the screaming infant. "Would you hush?" he asked, gently rocking the baby in his arms. Baby Aiden stuck out his wibbling lower lip as the tears continued to trickle down his flushed cheeks. "No," Rodney said gently, continuing to rock the child. "Nooo, the pouty face won't work on me."

After a moment, Aiden quieted down and just stared at Rodney. "See? It's not that bad," he cooed. "You're just sooo mistreated, aren't you?" Realizing the tone he was using, Rodney cleared his throat. "So, are you content now?" he asked. "Can I leave you here without you screaming your head off?" Aiden's eyes slowly squinted and his nose twitched. "What on earth…" Aiden suddenly sneezed, sending saliva flying onto Rodney's shirt.

"Eww!" Rodney made a horrified face. At this, Aiden sighed contentedly. "Oh, what? You think that's funny, huh? _You_ are a twit, you know that?" he said, lifting Aiden up into the air, ala "The Lion King". "Yes, you are. Yes, you are," he gushed, reverting back the baby voice and not noticing that the water had stopped running. "But you're a cute little twit," he cooed with a grin, bringing the baby back to rest in his arms.

"Rodney?" Evie called from the bathroom. "Is that you?"

"Uhh, yeah…" Rodney answered.

"What are you doing?"

"It was crying!" Rodney said, rocking Aiden once more.

"Oh. Well…thanks." She paused. "Umm, you think you could maybe leave now? I didn't bring any clothes in here," she explained.

"Oh! Yes. Right away."

"Thank you."

Rodney gently set Aiden down in the crib. "Now, don't you tell Mommy about me playing with you," he instructed quietly. "I don't want to get stuck babysitting all the time. Got it?" Aiden blinked at him, the most serious expression on his tiny visage. "That's a good boy. Rodney's gonna go now, and you're not gonna cry, okay?" He waved to the baby as he left the room.

When she heard the door shut, Evie ventured forth from the bathroom clad in only a towel. Approaching her son's crib, she noticed odd burbling noises coming from the baby. As she lifted him from his bed, he sighed happily. "Whatever Uncle Rodney did," she commented to the boy, "we should have him come do more often."

Aiden smiled.

Finis

* * *

**Outtakes**

Sheppard wrapped his arms around her and placed several light kisses in her hair. "Evie?" he whispered.

"Hmm?"

Sheppard brought a hand under her chin and gently turned her face to look at him. One glance at her adoring hazel eyes prompted him to go ahead and say it. "Evie, I…I think I love you."

There was an awkward silence for a few moments. Then Evie said quietly, "John, I don't know how to tell you this, but…I'm in love with Rodney."

* * *

"That meteor isn't going to hit us, is it, Captain?" Johnson asked, looking nervously at the quickly approaching hunk of space junk. 

"I don't think so, sir," Summer answered, checking the readouts from the Jumper.

"Captain!" Evie said with a sudden gasp, pretending to work the computer controls. "Our sensors have just indicated that the meteor is made entirely out of…**popcorn**!"

* * *

"And unofficially?" she teased. 

He grinned. "Unofficially, I'm here for my kiss goodbye."

Evie laughed. "Just a minute," she said as she finished with her hair. "Hey, do you think you could sneak me a bowl of ice cream before you leave?"

Sheppard frowned at her. "Get your _own_ ice cream, Buddha."

* * *

"And now, Masterpiece Theatre presents...Fractured Fairytales, SGA style! Today, we bring you: Rodney and the Ring. It was a cunning test that King Sheppard had thought up. An engagement ring placed inside a shoe. Only a true scientist would feel it! Zelenka, Kavanagh, Grodin, and many others had failed the test. Then it was Rodney's turn. The whiny would-be-scientist complained all day. At the end of the day, King Sheppard summoned Rodney and asked if he had had a pleasant day while wearing the royal sneakers. When Rodney said that his foot was sure to be black and blue due to a terribly big rock in his shoe, King Sheppard declared him to be a true scientist. Rodney was elevated to the status of 'Dr. McKay' and ruled underneath King Sheppard from that day forward. The End." 

Umm...yeah...I don't know what all that was about either...

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hip hip hooray for the Piglet and the Pooh! Yay, it be done! Gosh, this is swell. Gee, this is fun. It's great that my lobster can get out and run. Wow. Thanks for sticking around for 20 chapters, guys. Don't y'all worry, I intend to follow up on what happens to der bebbe. But before I talk about that, there are two people I have to thank. 

To the utterly amazing and "uber-awesome" Commodore Norrington: Baie dankie# times a million. I could not have done this without you. Thanks for all your hard work beta-ing. You have no idea how much fun I had during our brainstorming sessions. "OMW…Twins!" ;) Thanks for all the laughs and for making sure that Rodney ate dessert and not a desert. Take a bow, Commodore, take a bow.

To the bestest best friend and most amusing muse a girl could ever ask for: Bethany, you rock my socks off. This story would have sucked so bad without all the random ideas and plot bunnies you unknowingly inspired. Thanks for putting up with those few inappropriate moments and for not laughing at my corny drafts. And while it left a few scars, I appreciate your cracking the whip. ;) I salute you, Captain.

I hope y'all're ready to start plotting on the third one, because I've already got that bad boy started.

Just to give you readers a little preview, I'm thinking of following the growth of baby Aiden, spending maybe 1-3 chapters on each year of the boy's life. But don't worry, it won't be an Aiden-centric story. Trust me, this one's gonna follow everybody. Ooh, a quick note before I forget. For those of you who set your page viewers on the K-T setting: my next fic will have a light M rating. There won't be any graphic/explicit material, this is mainly a precaution for some of the thematic elements/adult themes. Anything sensual in nature will still be adhering to a T rating.

Any and all plot bunnies are welcome; please feel free to e-mail me with any interesting ideas you may have. And now I will leave you with some lines from the third one to whet your appetite…

"It was a nice wedding, don't you think?"

"You promised me that you never slept with her!"

"It's called mistletoe."

"You bastard, don't you touch her!"

"Dear, I think we have a problem."

"Tell me he's gonna be alright."

"If Carson doesn't murder me first, I swear I'll kill John."

"I take it you tested positive?"

>:D Yes, I know I'm evil.

- the-Bookworm-Princess

# - "Thank you very much" in Afrikaans.


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